


These Shores Up Above

by aeriamamaduck



Series: out of the sea [3]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: (no Y/V/Y endgame here), Aged-Up Yuri Plisetsky, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Blood, Children, Courtship, Curses, Established Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Found Family, Friendship, Heartbreaker Katsuki Yuuri, Horses, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M, Magic, Makkachin and Vicchan are horses, Mermaids, Merman Victor Nikiforov, Original Character Death(s), POV Yuri Plisetsky, Partial Nudity, Prince Katsuki Yuuri, Prince Yuri Plisetsky, Secret Relationship, Supernatural Elements, Swearing, Violence, Witch Georgi Popovich, note the absence of ''oblivious'', yurio helps the idiots break a stupid curse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2019-07-25 21:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16206203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeriamamaduck/pseuds/aeriamamaduck
Summary: Prince Katsuki Yuuri is infamous for rejecting every suitor that comes his way, and Prince Yuri reluctantly travels to Hasetsu expecting the same.Soon he discovers the reason for Yuuri's reluctance to marry, and finds himself on a mission to help break a merman's curse.





	1. Suitor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dwarrowdams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwarrowdams/gifts), [littlemomentsofgold](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemomentsofgold/gifts), [FyireMoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FyireMoon/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY SECOND YOIVERSSARY, HISTORY MAKERS!!!!!
> 
> Story time: 
> 
> I had this idea while having a VERY late breakfast with my mother, then came home and proceeded to complain to my friends about it because I have SO. MANY. WIPs.
> 
> Then, enablers that they are, they told me to write it.
> 
> So I did.
> 
> Two hours of work later I accidentally closed the tab (THANKS CHROME) and proceeded to scream for five minutes before starting over.
> 
> Dedicated to my enablers. xD 
> 
> Enjoy!

Prince Yuri could smell the sea.

 

It wasn't an unfamiliar smell. The city of his birth touched the sea as well, though he hadn't had much opportunity to actually visit it. Such was life as his grandfather's only living direct heir. 

 

He could see people trying to catch a glimpse into the carriage he rode in on, though he knew quite well that they were used to the sight of young foreign royals coming in to court the younger of the two Katsuki heirs.

 

Yuri was only humoring his grandfather in this. Prince Yuuri was twenty-four and apparently determined to avoid marriage. Princes and princesses from various other kingdoms had come to Hasetsu over the years to court him, but none had been lucky.

 

And Yuri, eighteen and of age to marry, was the latest in a long line of suitors, and it was all his grandfather's idea.

 

He was only humoring the old man, and had no illusions that the prince would actually accept his suit. Summer was starting and already there had been two suitors rejected before Yuri's arrival. Apparently Yuri's longtime rival, Prince Jean-Jacques, had left Hasetsu in tears after being rejected, though he seemed to recover quickly enough, meeting a young woman named Isabella weeks later and marrying her immediately. After him came famed seducer Prince Christophe, and even his charms weren't enough to win Prince Yuuri, though he left with good things to say about the Prince's strong will.

 

Yuri's grandfather's idea was to see him safely married before...He closed his eyes and let out an angry huff. He wasn't going to think about that at all. He'd meet the royal family, take advantage of Hasetsu's famous hospitality, and get a decent answer out of Prince Yuuri so he could bring it back to his grandfather once he returned home without a betrothed.

 

Then his grandfather would have to allow him to rule alone, and to name his own heir in time. 

 

It probably would have been a disaster to marry someone who had his same name.

 

* * *

 

The royal family welcomed Yuri with all the pomp due to the heir to a kingdom, and Yuri remembered not to act defensive in the face of his own nerves. 

 

The king and queen welcomed him graciously, introducing themselves and their two children and little granddaughter. Yuri looked up and finally got to look at Prince Yuuri.

 

He had a pleasant enough face, with slightly rounded cheeks and dark brown eyes that seemed determined to avoid looking at Yuri. 

 

It set him on edge, reminding him that he really didn't want to let the older prince reject him first. 

 

"Welcome to Hasetsu, Prince Yuri," Yuuri greeted him with a shallow bow of his head, glancing at him briefly before looking at the ground again, chagrined. 

 

He heard a noise from one of the others, and glanced at Princess Mari, their parents' heir. She evidently had none of her brother's compunctions, looking right at him with those same dark brown eyes that clearly said  _you won't be here long._

 

Yes. Yuri was definitely on edge. 

 

He'd forgotten that he was likely about to be turned into yet another laughingstock, and had to remember his grandfather's admonition.  _Mind that temper of yours, Yuratchka,_ he'd said as he saw Yuri off, as though Yuri were still a combative adolescent. It was only that Yuri's pride didn't allow him to be made a fool of, and neither did he suffer fools.

 

If the Prince and Princess thought he was someone to be laughed at, they were sorely mistaken. 

 

Still, it seemed that "courting" Yuuri would be less annoying than attempting to court his older sister. She'd been widowed after a short marriage, left with only one five-year-old daughter that she considered her heir. Apparently no one bothered her as much as they bothered her brother. 

 

Diplomacy. That was all this was. 

 

But Yuri thoroughly hated the idea of being laughed at. He wasn't here to make a fool of himself like the rest of the young royals parading in and out of Hasetsu. He knew what he was subjecting himself to and would make  _that_ quite clear to the other prince.

 

A servant led him to his room, carrying in his one trunk. He didn't need any more, certain he'd be on his way home in a few days' time. 

 

His room had a balcony, and Yuri momentarily found himself breathless at the sight of the blue sea beyond it.

 

The room was comfortable, but he found himself sitting on the balcony, staring out into the great blue expanse as he coiled his hair into a long braid.

 

Hours later a servant led him to the dining room for dinner, and he tried very hard not to let his frustration show. This was a waste of his time, but he would never have said that to his grandfather's face. He had a plan and he wanted to follow it to the letter. 

 

The Katsukis were standing when he entered the dining room, King Toshiya and Queen Hiroko looking politely welcoming while Prince Yuuri looked like he wanted to be anywhere from here.

 

 _The feeling's mutual_ , Yuri thought, trying not to glare at the older man.

 

Princess Mari looked decidedly bored, reminding Yuri yet again that he was probably the last in a long line of persistent idiots. Princess Sachiko, like her mother, kept staring at Yuri, her eyes as dark as the rest of her family's. 

 

For such a long time it had just been Yuri and his grandfather. Meanwhile there were three generations of Katsukis united in this one room, and he felt like such an outsider.

 

And Yuuri's averted gaze only confirmed that he'd made the trip for nothing.

 

Still, Yuuri cleared his throat and stepped up to Yuri, giving him a tight smile before bowing his head again. "Prince Yuri," he said, his voice subdued. "I hope your room is to your liking?"

 

Yuri stared back at him, trying to figure him out. He almost expected the guy to behave as though he  _wanted_ Yuri to pack up and leave. But then again no one every accused Katsuki Yuuri of being cruel and discourteous. 

 

And the fact that he'd made Yuri's rival cry redeemed him a bit.

 

"Uh...it's perfectly fine," Yuri replied, trying to keep himself from sounding too gruff. 

 

"I'm glad. Um...please take a seat," Yuuri said, leading Yuri to the table and to the chair directly across from him.

 

Upon seeing the rich foods laid out before him, Yuri remembered that he was starving. He decided to bury his mixed emotions in as much food as possible, remembering that he was supposed to be enjoying the hospitality he was offered.

 

He could feel Yuuri's gaze on him as the family made polite conversation. Yuri tried to keep his replies from sounding clipped, even if he could feel frustration trying to beat its way out of him. 

 

He distracted himself a bit by watching Sachiko try to shovel as much food into her mouth as possible, ignoring her uncle's gentle admonitions. 

 

And it wasn't like he could actually interrogate the other prince in front of his family. His grandfather would probably kill him if he caught wind of Yuri displaying such rudeness before his hosts.

 

"...Can you ride?" Yuuri suddenly asked, his voice quiet.

 

The question almost offended Yuri. He'd practically been born on a saddle. "I can," he said in clipped tones. 

 

Glancing away briefly, Yuuri sighed softly and asked Yuri, "Would you like to join me for a ride tomorrow morning?"

 

Well didn't he sound  _excited?_

 

He hated the sting of humiliation he felt, but had to remember not to lash out. Not now. "That sounds...good," Yuri replied in a tight voice, shoveling more food into his mouth to avoid answering further.

 

"Good," Yuuri said, looking oddly guilty as he ate sparingly.

 

Yuri could have cared less about the guy's appetite.

 

Later that night, bathed and trying to calm himself down, Yuri sat out on the balcony and listened to the tide as he gazed out into the nearly indiscernible horizon. 

 

Part of him wanted to just get this over with as fast as possible, and he could run back to his grandfather the way he used to after being thwarted by J.J. at some game, frustrated tears stinging his eyes.

 

But he wasn't a boy anymore, and he had a plan.

 

Whatever their respective intentions, Yuri wasn't going to come out of this looking like an idiot.

 

* * *

 

"Let's get something straight," Yuri snarled at the older prince.

 

They were each astride a horse, having left the castle grounds. Yuuri looked at him with an expression of total surprise, like he hadn't expected Yuri's diplomatic mask to disappear so rapidly. "Uh...sure?" he replied, looking a little nervous.

 

Yuri glared at him resentfully, and then pointed at him accusingly before saying firmly, "I'm only here to humor my grandpa. I'm rejecting you before you reject me!"

 

"I-I don't--"

 

"Don't play dumb!" Yuri nearly shouted, his horse shifting beneath him. "You've rejected every suitor who's come to you, and for some reason my grandpa thought I'd be different. You don't want to get married and neither do I. I can rule my kingdom just fine without a goddamn spouse! I just want you to know that I'm not here to be laughed at! You got that?!"

 

God, was he glad his grandfather wasn't around to hear him. But it needed to be said.

 

Yuuri blinked at him a couple of times before taking a deep breath and letting it out in...relief? He let out a soft chuckle, one that had Yuri baring his teeth in outrage, and said, "That's a relief."

 

What.

 

"What."

 

Yuuri lifted his gaze again, looking surprisingly grateful and adding, "I think you're the first one that's gotten the hint. Honestly, I thought Prince Christophe would've known better than to try, but he was..." He then cleared his throat as his cheeks turned pink. "...Surprisingly forward. I think he relished the challenge."

 

"Of course he did," Yuri grumbled. "But he still took the "no" better than J.J. did."

 

That made Yuuri's cheeks darken even more. "Is there anyone who  _doesn't_ know about that?"

 

"No," Yuri said with a satisfied smirk.

 

Yuuri sighed and gently urged his horse to a slow trot, and Yuri followed suit. 

 

They rode in silence for a few minutes, Yuuri leading them to the beach. Yuri watched him stare out towards the waters with an almost wistful expression, though what surprised Yuri was the flicker of pain that crossed Yuuri's brown eyes.

 

Remembering his intent, Yuri took another deep breath before asking, "So...is there any particular reason that you keep rejecting everyone?"

 

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Yuuri replied quietly, not taking his eyes from the sea.

 

"...I think I'd get my grandpa off my back if I had a good reason for coming back without you."

 

It was a moment before Yuuri looked at him again, and Yuri felt like a demanding little kid under his gaze. Then Yuuri gave him a soft smile and looked down with a soft blush and said, "...Only my sister and two close friends know about this. There's already someone that I care deeply for. We haven't married yet, but we will. One day."

 

Yuri observed that same agony fill those brown eyes, and saw Yuuri squeeze the reins in his hand like he'd been dealt a physical blow. The answer itself had Yuri wanting to ask a million more questions, but it was pretty obvious Yuuri wasn't in any mood to give more details. "...That's good enough," Yuri said, urging his horse into a trot. "Come on. I've got my answer, now I want to see the sights!"

 

He looked over his shoulder to find Yuuri staring after him, wide-eyed. "Uh...right," he said before making his horse fall into step with Yuri's.

 

* * *

 

Yuri was restless.

 

Not because of Yuuri. No, this restlessness had taken root years before he'd even heard about the prince from Hasetsu, and it was one that had his chest aching and his skin prickling uncomfortably.

 

He supposed witnessing the royal family, so obviously loving and close, triggered it. 

 

Yuri didn't remember his father, and what memories he had of his mother weren't all that clear.

 

He remembered her being cold and distant in her mourning, and one day she was just gone. Back then he hadn't understood. Now he knew she was living in her native city with her family again, as though she'd never had a son.

 

Yuri had always known that she'd practically handed him over to his grandfather, apparently determined to remake her life without him.

 

Princess Mari may have been uninterested in another marriage, but no one could doubt she loved her daughter. Yuri could bet that Sachiko slept deeply, knowing she was loved.

 

Yuri envied that.

 

He threw off his blanket and leaped out of bed, furiously coiling his hair into a braid and tossing on a cotton shirt over his trousers.

 

These next few days were his own, and he was always good at sneaking around.

 

The one source of peace he could think of was the sea, and staring out from a balcony suddenly wasn't enough.

 

He left his room and, as quietly as he could, made his way through the hallways.

 

In retrospect, the only reason he wasn't caught was because the guard patrolling the hallways was distracted, deep in quiet conversation with a curvy woman in leather armor while Yuri hid behind a curtain.

 

He overheard snippets of their conversation, and what he heard made him freeze.

 

"...in his room?"

 

"No," he heard the guard say. "He's with Victor. Same as every night."

 

"How can I give them this bad news, Takeshi?" the woman asked, sounding upset. "Every time I come back empty-handed I feel like I'm taking their hope away..."

 

"Hey, Yuuko," the guard, Takeshi, said firmly. "Yuuri knows you're doing everything you can. He knows how elusive this witch is."

 

Well...all of that was quite a lot of information.

 

 _So that's who he's with,_ Yuri realized.  _Victor._

 

Victor was the reason royal after royal had been soundly rejected by Katsuki Yuuri. 

 

They moved away, giving Yuri enough time to move through the darkness and down the stairs towards the dining room.

 

He dodged a couple more guards on his way, and managed to find it and its many accessible windows easy enough. He made as little noise as possible as he unlatched one, opening it just enough to let his thin frame through, leaving the window slightly open for him to get back in.

 

His bare feet touched smooth rocks and he grinned in satisfaction. Yuuri could keep his lover. For now, the beach belonged to Yuri. 

 

He carefully made his way to the spot where he and Yuuri began their ride earlier that day, the tide considerably higher. When the water touched his feet he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He remembered being on the beach as a boy and running away from his grandfather, laughing as he kicked up water and sand.

 

Yuri wasn't a boy anymore, and his grandfather wasn't here.

 

So he walked quietly, his path lit by the obnoxiously huge full moon.

 

A silvery laugh made him freeze in his tracks, and he looked around him to try and find the source. 

 

Ahead of him was a rocky outcropping, one that seemed to embrace the sea. Confused, Yuri stared out in that direction, and gave a small jolt when one of the rocks moved. 

 

Yuri realized it was a person when the figure sat up, tossing a magnificent length of hair over a shoulder. A second figure sat up, meeting the other in a long kiss, both of them barely lit by the moon. 

 

 _Oh_. He flushed when he figured out what he may have stumbled upon, and wanted to sigh in irritation. Did they really have to interrupt his walk?

 

He was about to attempt to sneak by them (it honestly seemed that it would be easy enough, distracted as they were) when he heard a very male voice say with amusement, "They sent a child this time. A grumpy child."

 

Yuri frowned, confused, and flinched when he heard a much-too familiar laugh. That was definitely Yuuri. He crouched down on the sand, heart pounding against his ribs as he realized that he'd just walked in on Yuuri's tryst. Then he heard Yuuri reply chidingly, "He's not a child, but he is pretty young, and...well...he's just well-aware of my reputation." 

 

Wait.

 

Was  _he_ the child they were talking about?!

 

That nearly made Yuri shoot up and growl in outrage, but he managed to control himself and stay down, even though his skin kept prickling with embarrassment.  _No one laughs at me_ , he thought furiously, seething as he crouched on the sand.

 

Then Yuuri added, "Honestly, he's a breath of fresh air after Christophe and Jean-Jacques. He hasn't tried propositioning me outside my bedroom or started crying."

 

 _I don't plan on crying_ , Yuri thought venomously.

 

He heard a sigh from the second figure, and saw him lean against Yuuri. "Diplomacy sounds exhausting. At least I won't have to endure your suitors any longer," he sighed.

 

Everything went incredibly quiet for a moment.

 

Then Yuri heard it.

 

If silver had a song, this was it. 

 

Ethereal, light, airy, weighing the air down with something so incredibly soothing.

 

It made Yuri want to cry.

 

He trapped the sob that threatened to escape down in his chest, shutting his eyes and trying to breathe normally as he shook. God, what  _was_ that? 

 

Why did it sound so beautiful?

 

Then it stopped much too suddenly and then he heard Yuuri say in worried tones, "Victor, you look pale."

 

Yuri opened his eyes again, part of him wanting to beg,  _No, let me hear it again!_

 

But then he heard Yuuri's shaky breaths. Then Victor said soothingly, "I'm fine. Come, let me sing to you, Yuuri."

 

Yuri almost sobbed in gratitude, but then Yuuri (that asshole) said in that same shaky and guilty tone, "I'm worried about you. I should...I should be out there looking for-"

 

"Stop," Victor interrupted, his own voice trembling now. Yuri watched him bury his face against Yuuri's neck, and barely heard him say, "Please, Yuusha, I can't bear the thought..."

 

"Vitenka," Yuuri sighed, agony bleeding out of his voice.

 

Regaining his senses, Yuri straightened up a little, remaining on his knees and watching the two embrace as he wondered dazedly just what the hell he'd heard.

 

Then it started again, but much more subdued.

 

And Yuri saw what he'd missed earlier in his desperation to keep himself under control.

 

It made his jaw drop.

 

Victor glowed as he sang, allowing Yuri to finally get a proper look at him and Yuuri.

 

The prince was gazing at Victor in near worship, and Yuri knew why no other suitor stood a damn chance. He was inhumanly beautiful, his silver hair looking like it had captured the moonlight. He too was gazing at Yuuri adoringly, the heat of the sun glowing out of his blue eyes.

 

Yuri had the urge to laugh at the other suitors before him. God, if only they  _knew_...

 

And indeed, Victor's skin looked unhealthily pale in that glow, and then...

 

...Then Yuri saw  _it._

 

It was long and silver, lovingly wound around one of Yuuri's legs and ending in...

 

Yeah. Yuri couldn't deny it. Those were fins. 

 

It was a fishtail. The fishtail was glowing.

 

Victor was a merman.

 

Yuuri's lover was a goddamn merman.

 

 _"WHAT THE FUCK?!"_ Yuri shouted.

 

And then he was plunged into darkness once more as the song came to an abrupt stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and yell at me on tumblr: **aeriamamaduck**


	2. Merman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy about the response to the first chapter! :D Thank you all for your encouragement!

The pitch blackness only lasted one moment before the glow, dimmer than before, started again, but without the mysterious song from before.

 

Yuri would have probably attempted to fool himself into thinking that it had all just been the conjuring of a sleep-deprived mind. Or maybe he  _had_ managed to fall asleep and was just having a very vivid dream that happened to involve the other idiot prince and a merman.

 

But no.

 

In the "light", it was totally clear.

 

Yuri hadn't been seeing things and he wasn't dreaming. Victor was really there and actually had damn fins, which were currently slapping at the water as if nervous, threatening, or both. 

 

Starting right into Victor's intense, inhuman gaze, Yuri exclaimed, still incredibly shocked, "He's a merman. He's a  _fucking merman!?"_

 

"Yuri! Please calm down!" Yuuri entreated as he stepped in between them, blocking out the glow from the merman. He held his palms out as if to stop Yuri from taking a step forward (as if he could actually  _move_ ). He then looked over his shoulder, gaze desperate, and said to the merman, "Victor, you have to go."

 

Victor's blue eyes flitted back towards Yuuri and then back to Yuri, who watched his fin curl in an undoubtedly threatening way. "I'm not leaving you," he said, voice low and full of total reluctance.

 

"Go! I'll deal with this!" Yuuri repeated, voice firmer. He turned back to Yuri, taking a slow step towards him and looking terrified. "Yuri, please. Please, I just...Let me explain!"

 

Yuri stared at him, trying to comprehend the fear in Yuuri's eyes, but it didn't take him too long. That was a merman behind him, a creature of legend, and those legends usually talked about how dangerous they were. Well, more specifically, the mer _maids_ , but the look in Victor's eyes as he refused to leave let Yuri know that he was likely just as dangerous. Swallowing and trying not to betray his nervousness, Yuri pointed at him and asked Yuuri in demanding tones, "That's him? That's the guy you've been rejecting everyone for?  _Victor?"_

 

Victor's glare intensified, making him look like he was about to slither out of the water to grab Yuri and drag him down into the depths, but Yuuri looked at him with surprise, asking, "How'd you know his name?"

 

"I just heard you practically moaning it!" Yuri shouted.

 

Holding his palms up again as he hurriedly shushed Yuri, the other prince kept looking at him beseechingly. "Please, you...You can't tell anyone, Yuri! I'm begging you. If people find out about him they won't stop until they find out everything they can about his kind, by whatever means necessary!"

 

Of that, Yuri had no doubt. He knew about curiosity and how it could easily cross over into cruelty. Any educated person knew witches, whether good or bad, suffered persecutions and tortures in the name of keeping people safe and satisfying that craving for knowledge about anything deemed unnatural or unusual. With all the legends surrounding creatures such as Victor...Yuri stifled a shudder at the thought of people tearing him to pieces in an effort to learn more. "I'm not stupid and I'm not a kid," Yuri answered, trying to give his voice its usual steel. "I'm not gonna go running my mouth to everyone."

 

"Swear it!" Yuuri demanded, and suddenly he didn't sound or look terrified. And then Yuri knew Yuuri hadn't just put himself between them for show. He knew Yuuri was no pushover, and had ample proof of it, whether or not he refused to marry anyone out of love for someone else or because he simply wasn't interested.

 

Even so, Yuri snarled at him, "God, I  _swear!_  On my life! Whatever you want!"

 

They faced each other, Yuuri's gaze hard as he kept staring at Yuri. It was like the older prince expected him to betray his word at any moment. 

 

Then the tension broke at the sound of a splash and Victor's silvery voice saying, "So you're the other Prince Yuri. My rival for Yuuri's hand."

 

Blushing as his ire rose even more, along with that awful feeling of humiliation, Yuri shouted at the coldly-smiling merman, "I'm  _not_ \- I ALREADY KNOW HE'S NOT GONNA MARRY ME!"

 

" _Don't shout!"_ Yuuri hissed, looking in the direction of the town anxiously.

 

"Good, then you can be on your way," Victor said to Yuri, still smiling disarmingly.

 

But Yuri wasn't falling for it. He was a prince, his grandfather's heir, and he wasn't going to be cowed by a fucking _fish_. He stared at Victor just as coldly, sneering, "Or what, you'll drag me into the sea and drown me?"

 

"Maybe," Victor shot back, tail twitching in the water again.

 

"No one is drowning anybody!" Yuuri said, standing between them again. With one brief frown in Victor's direction, the merman visibly calmed, tucking his tail back into the water and letting the tide cover it again. Running a hand through his dark hair, Yuuri's sighed before asking wearily, "Yuri, what are you even doing here?"

 

Yuri blinked in the prince's direction once, feeling like a kid caught sneaking around. "I couldn't sleep." It was the best answer he could give and it only made him feel even more embarrassed.

 

"You didn't follow me here?" Yuuri asked, once again wary.

 

"I didn't even know you were here! I just knew you were with someone named Victor!"

 

"Who did you hear that from?"

 

"That guard Takeshi and...some woman he was talking to." Yuri couldn't remember if he'd heard her name, but whatever she'd been off doing had something to do with Victor, and apparently it hadn't gone well.

 

That had both Yuuri and Victor's expressions changing drastically, and Yuri watched as something like hope flared like a fire in Yuuri's dark eyes. "Yuuko's back?" he asked softly.

 

A true smile spread across Victor's face, making him appear brighter still, and he asked Yuuri as the upper, human half of his body leaned towards him, "That's good, isn't it? She must have news!"

 

News about what, Yuri wasn't sure. But then he watched the hope fade from Yuuri's eyes as quickly as it appeared, replaced by that same agony Yuri had witnessed periodically ever since his arrival in Hasetsu. Yuuri turned to Victor, shoulders sagging in defeat, and said, "...If it were good news she would've come to us right away." 

 

And then that same anguish crossed through Victor's face, though it appeared that he managed to keep it to himself as he gazed at Yuuri and gently said, "Yuuri, it's alright-"

 

"It's  _not alright,_ Victor!" Yuuri exclaimed, dragging both hands through his hair again in an almost angry motion, turning away from the merman and staring at the sand beneath him in desperation. "If I could just get out there and-"

 

"If you go, then so will I," Victor interrupted. "I almost lost you the last time you went to find him."

 

Yuuri sighed raggedly and replied, "And you've never been on land outside of Hasetsu! You're getting sicker by the week-"

 

Finally losing his patience, Yuri shouted, _"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP AND EXPLAIN WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"_

 

Both of the other men jumped at the volume of his voice, and Yuuri looked at him uncertainly before biting his lip and saying with another tired sigh, "It's a long story."

 

"I've got all night," Yuri growled, sitting down on the sand resolutely. "Now what the hell did you mean when you said that fish-boy here has never been on land outside of Hasetsu?" It couldn't be possible that Victor could take a stroll through Hasetsu whenever he wanted. 

 

"My name is  _Victor,_ and I'm not a fish," Victor informed him, tail twitching irritably as he gave Yuri an offended look. "I'm a merman who happens to be able to turn into a human!"

 

"Right," Yuri muttered, breath becoming shaky as Victor confirmed that he could indeed take a stroll through Hasetsu whenever he wanted. And he declared his humanity with such pride, like it was some huge accomplishment for him. Turning towards Yuuri, who still had that same sad look on his face, Yuri asked as he pointed at Victor, "So he's the guy you're marrying?"

 

"...Yes," Yuuri confirmed, smiling wistfully at Victor through the pain in his expression. 

 

Victor returned the look, adoration filling his face as his fins trailed across the water, scales sparkling slightly in the light. "Wow, you told him that much? That's so sweet, Yuurichka." 

 

Yuuri's cheeks turned a warm pink before he made his way back to Victor, kneeling on the rocks and pressing their foreheads together in a gesture of affection. It briefly made Yuri feel like an intruder, but it was quickly tempered by rising irritation as he looked at them. So Yuuri wanted to marry this guy but was still willing to endure idiot after idiot coming to Hasetsu to court him?

 

It made no sense at all. "Okay, he can turn into a human. So just get married and show him off enough times that you won't have a bunch of idiot suitors coming to annoy you," Yuri snarled, embarrassment curling unpleasantly in his gut because there was no need for him to have gone through this entire farce even if he knew what awaited him.

 

"It's not that simple," Yuuri replied with a shake of his head. At least he looked ashamed as he peered at Yuri, explaining, "Victor isn't human royalty, so I'd offend plenty of kingdoms if I passed their heirs over to marry someone without...recognizable status."

 

Victor nodded in agreement, his smile bitter as he added, "I'd be some lowly commoner who caught Prince Yuuri's eye, stealing him away from the other kingdoms."

 

"And stealing an alliance with Hasetsu," Yuri surmised. He obviously wasn't ignorant of the fact that Yuuri and Mari were heirs to a rich port town, and since Mari had made her disinterest in marriage clear and already had an heir, Yuuri was the next obvious choice for any interested nobility. 

 

That alone would've been ample enough reason for Yuuri to just not want to accept any suitors, and Yuri would've understood. He suddenly realized that just because Yuuri rejected him, his grandfather would probably welcome other suitors and point them in his direction.

 

God, the very thought terrified him more than Victor had moments ago.

 

"That's part of it," Victor said, fin trailing the water almost dejectedly. "I'm not ignorant of the fact that Yuuri's long string of rejections makes him a challenge. It makes me rather...envious."

 

Yuuri touched Victor's wrist, thumb stroking the pale skin in a soothing motion. Meanwhile, Yuri was wondering if he was in his right mind to feel...smug about a  _merman_ being jealous of  _him_. Looking at the two of them, though, the good feeling didn't last long, and Yuri rolled his eyes as he said, "Relax. I'm not interested in  _him_ or Hasetsu. I made that perfectly fucking clear yesterday." 

 

Victor stared at him for a moment before giving him a genuine smile, truly bright and warm. "Good! Then we can be friends!" he declared, raising his fin in series of bizarrely happy little waves. "I like meeting new humans!"

 

Gaping at him for a few seconds, Yuri turned to Yuuri and asked, "What the hell, Katsuki, you keep him in a fish tank or something?"

 

"I do  _not!"_ Yuuri denied with a blush.

 

That made Victor laugh, a thoroughly unrestrained sound, as he leaned against Yuuri, still glowing dimly. Reeling with the weight of this discovery, Yuri blew out a long, tired breath as he thought it all over. Witches had always been well-known, but mer...people were usually dismissed as the delusions of sea-addled sailors and shipwreck survivors. They were either saviors or bringers of doom, luring ships to ruin with their...voices. "What was that before? Was that you singing?" Yuri asked.

 

Victor then blushed too. "Oh. You heard that? Sorry if it sounded disturbing! It was meant for Yuuri alone, you see."

 

"Yeah, obviously," Yuri muttered, remembering the yearning in Yuuri's face from minutes before when he thought they were alone. 

 

Yuuri, timidly avoiding Yuri's gaze, explained hesitantly, "Mer-song is...special. It can influence emotions. That one in particular was..."

 

"Intimate!" Victor provided.

 

Yuri nodded, self-conscious about his earlier reaction and realizing how vulnerable he'd actually been. Maybe those tales held some kernel of truth. "And this has been going on for how long?"

 

"Almost three years," Yuuri replied, voice quiet with some emotion Yuri couldn't figure out. 

 

"Ever since I saved Yuuri from drowning after a shipwreck!" Victor added enthusiastically, draping his arms around Yuuri's shoulders with a nostalgic-sounding sigh. "I pulled him out of the sea and back onto the shore, and I wanted to know more about him."

 

"So did I," Yuuri added with a fond look at Victor.

 

Yuri sensed there was more to the story, but he guessed that it involved more intimate details that he _really_ didn't want to know about. "So that's when you turned into a human?" he asked, still not clear on how that was possible.

 

"No, that was thanks to a witch named Georgi," Victor replied, his smile turning bitter again.

 

Yuuri wasn't smiling, his gaze darkening with surprising fury. "I refuse to thank that witch for anything," he practically growled, hand flying up to clutch Victor's wrist tightly.

 

The name sounded familiar, and Yuri had to think hard to remember why. "I've heard of that guy. They say his spells always come with a price."

 

Victor nodded, his brightness subdued as he gave Yuuri a quick squeeze. "Among the merpeople, he's only known for his powerful magic. I didn't know it came with such a price."

 

"And he's the one who...gave you legs?" Yuri asked, flicking his chin towards Victor's tail.

 

Nodding again, Victor's smile widened again as he rested his chin on Yuuri's shoulder and began explaining, "I was always fascinated with humans, but we were discouraged from interacting with them directly. I, of course, ignored that when I saved Yuuri's life!" 

 

Yuuri, meanwhile, didn't seem to care that Victor's embrace was getting him wet. He seemed used to it, but his expression was still one of barely contained anger and powerlessness. With a brief press of his forehead against Yuuri's temple, Victor continued in a soft voice, "I wanted a human's legs, but I knew I would miss the sea, so I found the witch on the northern shores and was brazen enough to ask for just that. All he asked for was a piece of my soul."

 

He said it so casually that it took Yuri a moment to realize just what he'd said. Shocked, he looked at Yuuri, who was glaring at the sand again as if it would make Georgi appear before him.

 

"So I transformed, figured out how to make my way back here, and tried to find Yuuri," Victor added, beaming as he concluded his story.

 

"Naked," Yuuri finally said, gaze blank before he began to smile again as he remembered, his hand still touching Victor's arm. "You were naked and wandering the beach. And you were perfectly willing to wander into the town like that."

 

"Well, I've never needed clothes before," Victor said matter-of-factly, as if clothes were some ridiculous concept. "Lucky for me, Yuuri was riding his horse along the shore and recognized me!"

 

"Why wouldn't I recognize you?" Yuuri asked, turning to gaze at Victor and looking as devoted as he had minutes ago when Victor sang. "I thought about you ever since I woke up on that beach with and saw your face over mine." His blush grew stronger as he admitted it, but he just kept gazing at Victor.

 

His glow growing brighter as his smile widened, Victor nuzzled into Yuuri's neck, and Yuri averted his gaze as he heard Victor say tenderly, "I couldn't stop looking at you. I thought you were beautiful, and I knew I'd do anything to be with you."

 

Huffing in irritation, Yuri snarled, "Okay, okay! Moving on! Did you really give a witch part of your soul!?"

 

"No," Yuuri answered flatly. His eyes were once again flooded with anger as they looked up at Yuri, and he added with raw anguish, "It was all of his soul. Victor was willing and Georgi..." Yuuri spat out the name, suddenly not the mild-mannered prince Yuri had met the day before. "...He took advantage of that."

 

Shock pulsed through Yuri once again, and his incredulous gaze fell on Victor, sitting in front of him without a soul to speak of. "How do you just...walk, or...move around without a soul?!" he asked. "Shouldn't you be, like...dead?"

 

Yuuri aimed a shocked, angry look at Yuri, squeezing Victor's arm as the merman shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. My soul still exists out there, it's just not inside of me! Therefore I'm alive and myself!"

 

Covering his face with his hand, Yuuri murmured, "It's not that simple. You can only live for so long without your soul." He dragged his hand through his hair again, eyes glittering with tears as he explained, "I was scared of what people would do if they knew Victor was a merman, and I didn't want to risk offending the other kingdoms by denying their heirs an opportunity to court me. So we decided we'd wait, strengthen our alliances by other means, and then...we'd be together. For the entire world to see." His face betrayed a slight hope, but it quickly disappeared and then he added, "But then Victor started getting ill. Weaker. He  _needs_ his soul back."

 

He said it with such agony, all of it radiating off of him even with Victor practically wrapped around him. The merman gave him a long squeeze, his brow slightly wrinkled in a frown. "After that, Yuuri tried to find help. And he tried to find Georgi too. He got hurt on that journey and almost didn't make it," Victor told him, pain crossing his perfect features. Turning Yuuri's face towards his with a hand on his cheek, Victor addressed him alone with an old pain in his voice, saying, "Do you know how it felt not knowing it I would ever see you again? Giving away my soul was a mistake. All  _mine_ , but choosing you wasn't." 

 

Yuuri readily met his gaze. "Then let me help you. Let me try to save you," he entreated.

 

"Let me go with you."

 

"You  _can't_."

 

"According to you-"

 

"Both of you shut up and let me think for a second!" Yuri interrupted, rubbing at his temple as he lost patience watching them go back and forth. He had a feeling this wasn't a new argument between them, but it obviously wasn't doing them much good. 

 

Both of them were staring at him, and Yuuri asked him, "...Think about what?"

 

Yuri looked at him like he was dense. "About how I'm fucking gonna explain to my grandpa that I can't go home yet. I'm helping you idiots break this...curse!"

 

Victor blinked at him in disbelief, asking quietly, "What?"

 

Yuuri gave him a similar stare, obviously not having expected such help from Yuri. "...Why?" he asked, frowning in suspicion as his hand found Victor's again. "Why would you want to help us?"

 

"Because there's gonna be plenty of idiots that won't take a hint," Yuri replied, tired of the ongoing farce. "You're right, Hasetsu's too big a temptation to just let it go without trying to do whatever it takes to...I don't know, make you fall head over heels for whoever decides to try courting you. It's gonna waste everyone's time and...you probably don't have a lot of it," he added reluctantly with a glance in Victor's direction.

 

"You're blunt," Victor said, still staring at him.

 

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Yuri muttered with another roll of his eyes.

 

"I mean it as a compliment," Victor clarified, smiling at him. "I've watched you and many of my Yuuri's suitors on that balcony. I wasn't always sure of their intentions and that bothered me."

 

"What, you can't read minds?" Yuri asked impertinently.

 

"I wish I could. That  _would_ be useful!" the merman replied cheerily. "But you look like you have a pure and sure heart. After all, you came for an answer, not a groom." 

 

It appeared that Yuri wasn't the only blunt one. Flushing at being so exposed, Yuri glared at the other prince, muttering, "You  _had_ to tell him everything?"

 

Giving him a sheepish look, Yuuri answered, "It hasn't exactly been easy for him to watch me being courted from afar. Sorry."

 

"Whatever. So how do we get started finding this witch?"

 

"Yuri..." Yuuri started to look at him as if he were talking to his niece, explaining something as patiently as he could to someone much younger. "I can't ask you to put yourself in danger."

 

While Yuri bristled at his tone, Victor asked angrily, "But  _you_ can take on that danger yourself?"

 

Yuuri sighed and shook his head, saying with decreasing patience, "Yuri is his grandfather's only heir! Me? I'm third in line after Sachiko!"

 

"And that makes you expendable?"

 

"I can't just sit here hoping someone else finds Georgi! I'm the one who got you into this, so I'm responsible!" Yuuri nearly shouted.

 

They were glaring at each other, Victor's tail twitching repeatedly as he shot back, " _I'm_ the one that's responsible! I sought him out and made him a gift of my soul. I may be too weak to confront him alone, but I can at least help you."

 

Clearing his throat and trying not to lose his own patience again, Yuri crossed his arms tight across his chest and informed them, "Uh, you know when I said I was going, that wasn't me asking either one of you for permission. We're a merman and two princes. What can one witch do?"

 

"Steal our souls," Victor replied simply.

 

"And send a minion to attack us and leave us for dead," Yuuri added, laying a hand on his stomach.

 

"Well, that's only because I wasn't around," Yuri said to the older prince with a smirk. "You're right, I am my grandpa's only heir. And that means he's made sure I can actually fight." It was hours of pain and exhaustion as he learned, but Yuri knew how to handle a sword. True, facing a witch probably wasn't the same as facing J.J. or some other noble, but Yuri knew he was  _good_.

 

"Now don't act like I won't be of any use, you two," Victor said determinedly. Then his face twisted in a brief grimace, hand grasping Yuuri's wrist. It was enough of a distraction that Yuri just missed what occurred beneath Victor's waist.

 

Groaning with relief, Victor released Yuuri's wrist and got to his... _feet_. Yuri's jaw dropped as he stared at Victor's long legs, and then had to avert his gaze as he blushed and muttered, "Yeah, he's naked now."

 

"Victor!" Yuuri yelped, leaping to his feet and rapidly taking his shirt off and tying it around Victor's waist to cover him up, blushing the entire time. 

 

That was when Yuri spotted a single, long scar across Yuuri's belly. His stomach dropped at the sight of it, recalling something Victor had said about Yuuri being injured during an attempt to find Georgi.

 

Obviously not caring about the fact that he was naked, Victor smiled at Yuuri's efforts to preserve his "modesty" and said lightly, "It's not like I carry trousers around with me. It's inconvenient! I'd look ridiculous swimming around carrying those silly things!"

 

"Yeah, because walking around naked makes total sense," Yuri muttered as he got to his feet, a little amused as he watched Yuuri try to figure out how to keep his lover covered up sufficiently.

 

"You've never used your legs for more than a few hours! Just how long can you last like this?" Yuuri asked worriedly, anxiously looking up and down the length of Victor's body.

 

"As long as necessary," Victor said decisively, resting his hands on Yuuri's shoulders as he gazed down at him. "I'm fighting for my life and our future. I won't let you do that alone. Not again."

 

Yuuri gazed up at him, and Yuri could only imagine the war going on in his head as he looked at Victor. It felt like several moments had passed before Yuuri sighed softly in defeat, smiling faintly at the merman with a tenderness that had Yuri feeling self-conscious. Then Yuuri said, "We have to tell my parents." 

 

"What?" Victor asked, looking surprised.

 

Looking at them both, Yuuri explained, "The last time I left to find Georgi was suspicious enough, and I...I don't want this to be a secret anymore. I don't want to pretend I'm okay with all these suitors who just...don't take a hint." With another smile up at Victor, Yuuri added optimistically, "And I know they'll love you anyway."

 

Laughing breathlessly, Victor exclaimed, "Of course they will. I'm a delight!"

 

Yeah, that was totally believable when the guy was standing there, naked and glowy.

 

Turning towards Yuri again, Yuuri said in soft tones, "Yuri, you really don't have to do this."

 

Oh, so the guy strung the nobility along, had a merman lover on the side, and was still trying to act noble. Yuri gave him a challenging look and replied, "I'm involved, okay? I'll just send word to my grandpa...after I figure out just what to say to him without giving the whole thing away." Which would probably take a while.  

 

"Before we get started on this quest, we need to talk to Yuuko," Yuuri said, scratching his head thoughtfully. "She's the only one who's even gotten close to finding Georgi."

 

"Can't she come with us?" Yuri asked.

 

"She and Takeshi have three daughters. I can't keep her away from them anymore," Yuuri replied, looking ashamed.

 

Gazing at him sympathetically, Victor reached down to take Yuuri's hand and give it a squeeze. Yuuri closed his eyes and took a deep breath as though to brace himself before he started to lead Victor back towards the Castle.

 

Yuri lingered in that same spot as they walked past him, exhaling as he thought about what he'd just gotten himself into when he agreed to help this idiot prince and his soulless lover.

 

He gave the sand a little kick before turning to follow the other two, catching up to Victor and muttering just loud enough for him to hear, "You might want to tone down the glowing before you meet your in-laws."

 

"Right!" Victor laughed before dimming his glow down considerably so they could at least make their way in the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and yell at me on tumblr!: **aeriamamaduck**


	3. Legs

Yuri wasn't sure just how he was meant to start writing this letter. His escorts weren't happy about having to deliver the news that their prince wasn't coming home and that he was going on a quest with the prince who'd jilted him and the man he'd been jilted for, leaving out the tiny merman detail...

 

For some reason he knew the whole thing would amuse his grandpa.

 

He'd understand, even if he'd sent Yuri to Hasetsu for a completely different reason. His grandpa always understood.

 

But Yuri still had to ask himself why he hadn't just explained his feelings back then. Maybe it was so he wouldn't disappoint the old man who'd loved him all his life.

 

Sitting at the desk in his room, glaring at the blank page in increasing frustration, Yuri kept asking himself what he was going to say.

 

He heard the door open and gave a start. No one just _burst_ into his room except his grandpa. He turned around, aiming a glare at the intruder. 

 

Then his eyes went round with surprise when he saw that it was Princess Sachiko, who was glaring at him like he was a nuisance. "Why are you still here?" she asked boldly.

 

In no way was the kid as mild-mannered as the rest of her family. Staring back at her, Yuri could only reply, "...I just got here."

 

Her frown only deepened, and she walked up to Yuri to stare up at him with her hands on her hips as she told him, "You can't take my uncle away. He's marrying Victor and staying here with us!"

 

The Katsukis had been...extremely overjoyed when Yuuri introduced Victor to them that morning (after, thankfully, getting him actual clothes to wear, even if they were tight around the shoulders). To Yuri's continued surprise, they were delighted by him, and Victor was practically glowing with happiness as he finally met Yuuri's family. Even so, Yuuri's parents expressed concern that he'd kept it a secret for so long.

 

Yuri just went on eating his breakfast, a little viciously glad the whole charade was coming to an end.

 

"You like him?" he grumpily asked the little girl, remembering how Queen Hiroko had cheerily hurried Victor away to get him fitted for clothing, Sachiko quickly following them before her mother caught up to her.

 

Sachiko nodded, wearing a vicious smile of her own. "He's funny, and he makes Uncle Yuuri smile. You can't do that. Neither did those other dumb princes and princesses."

 

Yuri could feel his eyelid twitch with simmering fury at the reminder. Glaring down at her, while admiring the fact that she was standing her ground, he growled sarcastically, "Well thanks for rubbing my face in it. I'm completely heartbroken and humiliated. You and that uncle of yours win." 

 

But she still didn't look satisfied, and then she demanded, "So why aren't you packing? Or crying like John Jay?"

 

His eyelid went mad.

 

" _I'M NOT A CRYBABY LIKE HIM!"_ he shouted, crinkling up the paper and crushing his quill in his fists.

 

"Crybaby! Crybaby!" Sachiko teased while Yuri gnashed his teeth.

 

The door having been left ajar, it was no surprise when Yuuri peered in, eyes round with shock at the scene. 

 

At least Yuri wasn't surprised. Sachiko quickly schooled her face into an expression of total innocence.

 

But Yuuri didn't seem to fall for it, walking into the room and looking mildly disappointed. "Sacchan..."

 

"We were just playing!" the little demon said, smiling widely at her uncle.

 

"What game?" Yuuri asked patiently.

 

Sachiko bit her lip for a moment before quickly confessing, "Send the stinky prince home." Then she bolted past Yuuri and out of the room to cause mayhem somewhere else.

 

Yuri blew out an angry breath through his nose, aiming his glare at the other prince.

 

Yuuri cringed and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I've been around her whole life and she's never liked the idea of me getting married and leaving, no matter how much I promised to visit."

 

Mulling it over, Yuri supposed the demon princess had a right to feel annoyed that idiots like J.J. kept coming to her home. Unclenching his jaw, he asked in irritation, "Where's the other idiot?"

 

Yuuri gave him a dry look. " _Victor_ is still being fussed over by my mother." Then he was blushing, his hand going up to clutch his shirt over his chest. "She loves him already. Everyone does."

 

"Did you tell them about this thing we're doing?" Yuri asked as he sat down heavily on his chair and pulled out an undamaged piece of paper.

 

He heard Yuuri sigh, sounding uncertain as he replied, "I told my father, my sister, Takeshi, and Yuuko. Sachiko's going to hate me."

 

"Nah, she'll probably blame me instead," Yuri muttered as he wrote out a greeting." That kid could never hate you. 

 

A few moments of silence followed, and Yuri was about to assume Yuuri had left the room when the older man finally said, "I should've tried again after the first time. Yuuko didn't need to keep putting herself in danger for our sake."

 

Then Yuri remembered the scar across Yuuri's belly, and how Victor had mentioned a close call. Fidgeting with the quill, Yuri turned and asked the other man, "What happened to you that last time?"

 

The light in Yuuri's eyes appeared to dim at the question, his hand dropping to his belly. "...I got close to Georgi," he began, his voice low. "Too close. Close enough that I must've spooked him enough that he sent a demon after me. One moment I was fine, and the next I could practically see my insides flying out of me." He'd wrapped an arm around his middle by that point, his face gone pale.

 

Yuri, meanwhile, felt his own insides grow cold at the thought. "You almost died, didn't you?"

 

Nodding slowly, Yuuri replied, "I did. Fortunately I was close to a village where a hearth witch and a healer worked together to save me. They had me escorted back here, and Victor..." Guilt flooded Yuuri's gaze, sharp and painful. "...He was so scared, and I promised I wouldn't do that to him again. But Yuuko knew, and just kept going off, trying to help me. I can't ask her to do that again."

 

Then he lifted his gaze to meet Yuri's, surprisingly firm. "And I can't ask you to help me, Yuri. You belong at home with your grandfather. Go back to him."

 

Yuri frowned at him for a moment before turning back to his letter and picking his quill up. "You're not getting rid of me," he warned as he wrote. "Something good's gonna come out of me coming here."

 

There was no reply, and soon enough Yuri heard his door close.

 

He kept writing.

 

* * *

 

After sending the letter on its way Yuri was feeling restless. 

 

Managing to dodge guards and servants, the majority of them caught up in the gossip around Victor's arrival and his role in the prince's life, Yuri made his way to the stables where he and Yuuri had spoken before setting off on their ride the day before.

 

It felt like a lifetime had passed since then, especially after learning about merpeople and the fact that the mild-mannered prince of Hasetsu had a lover.

 

The stables smelled like hay and horses. They weren't cats, but they were...something. Big and ready to kick somethings.

 

But it was quiet.

 

Then Yuri heard a familiar laugh and realized he'd get no peace. The best thing he could do was sneak away,  and-

 

"Hey, Yurio!" he heard Victor call out cheerily, head popping out from the other side of the brown horse Yuuri had called "Vicchan."

 

Gaping at him, Yuri asked with mounting irritation, "Yuri-o?"

 

"Princess Mari's idea," Victor clarified as he patted down the horse's side with a wide smile. "She said it was too confusing, otherwise. Isn't she smart?"

 

Gritting his teeth again, Yuri realized where Sachiko got her cruelty from. No way was that name sticking. Clearing his throat pointedly, Yuri decided to change the subject. "So...was last night your first time in a human bed?"

 

Laughing softly as Vicchan playfully nipped at his silver hair, Victor replied, "Of course not! I've shared my Yuuri's bed before. Many times!"

 

Yuri's face turned red. He'd walked right into that one. "S-seriously?!"

 

Moving on to pat the dark gray horse Yuri had ridden, Victor's smile turned sly as he answered, "Of course. Yuuri and I would sneak through the dark halls and find our way to his room. Ah, the bliss we shared..."

 

"NO SHARING," Yuri shouted in outrage.

 

Victor laughed at him while the horses nickered in what sounded like amusement. As Yuri glared at them, Victor told him with a soft smile, "I haven't been a stranger to most of Yuuri's world ever since I got my legs. I've even ventured into the kingdom on my own, exploring as much of Hasetsu as I could. And now I'll get to see more of it!"

 

"In the meantime we just have to confront a witch and get your soul back," muttered as he glanced at Victor's legs, clad in a comfortable pair of boots. At least the idiot was prepared. 

 

Pouting at him, Victor replied, "Try to look at the lighter side of things, little prince."

 

Pride pricking at him, Yuri was about to grab a pitchfork when he heard someone else in the stables.

 

Yuuko poked her head in, eyes round as she took in the scene within. She smiled when she spotted Victor next to the gray horse and exclaimed, "Makkachin's missed you, Victor!"

 

"And I missed him," Victor said, patting the horse's nose. "I may be hopeless on horseback, but these two and I have an understanding."

 

Hopeless on horseback. This whole quest was becoming hopeless and they hadn't even left Hasetsu.

 

Yuuko's gaze finally fell on Yurio, and her look was one of approval. "I was surprised to hear you'd be joining them, Prince Yuri."

 

"Why? Because I'm one of your prince's suitors?" He couldn't quite manage to keep the defensiveness out of his tone. 

 

"Well, yes," Yuuko answered, unfazed. "But beyond that, not just anyone would do that. I've been searching for that witch for a long time, and he just kept slipping away from me."

 

"I'm still grateful to you," Victor said to her, his voice gentle. "We both are, but you must leave it to us now, and stay with your little ones."

 

Yuuko blushed under his gaze, averting her own as she added, "I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'd join you all if you'd let me."

 

And she meant it, Yuri realized. Remembering how she and her husband spoke of Yuuri last night. Familiar and about as worried as family could be. "How long have you guys known each other?" he asked, hating the prickle of jealousy crawling up his back.

 

"Forever," Yuuko replied, smiling. "We practically grew up together. I was actually the one who found Yuuri on the beach the morning after that wreck. We were all so terrified that the worst had happened, but there he was, ranting about a man with silver hair who'd sung to him."

 

"She thought he'd lost his mind," Victor added with a laugh. "She had to drag him back to the castle before he could throw himself back into the water to find me." His eyes overflowed with fondness as he remembered. "That was when I knew I had to find him again. That I would get myself a pair of human legs so we could be together."

 

Yuuko sighed dreamily, her cheeks still pink. "Takeshi and I knew Yuuri well enough to know he was hiding something. We were worried. So was Princess Mari. So we all followed him to the beach one night, and...there he was with the merman who'd saved him. We'd never seen him so...in love, I suppose." She turned towards Yuri again and added, "Everyone here adores Yuuri, but aside from Takeshi and myself, Yuuri never really had a lot of close friends. He's always been shy, so...all of this was rather unexpected."

 

"And none of the other suitors expected it," Yuri muttered.

 

"Yourself included, Yurio," Victor said with a wide grin.

 

"WELL YOU CAN'T RIDE A HORSE, YOU DUMB FISH!" Yuri shouted at Victor, flushing angrily. 

 

"Mer _man_ ," Victor whined loudly while Yuuko pried the pitchfork from Yuri's hands and both horses snorted like they were laughing at them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: departures and horses.
> 
> Please comment!


	4. Mersong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> work's been tough folks

They departed from Hasetsu with simple enough ceremony, one that included several soldiers and all of Yuri's escorts offering to travel with the princes.

 

Might as well announce their coming to the witch. 

 

Princess Sachiko cried, begging to be able to join them, and begging Prince Yuuri not to go. The sound of her cries followed them as they rode off.

 

That was some time ago, and Yuri already felt like his thighs were about to snap away from his torso. Makkachin sounded exhausted benath him, but Yuuri had said that there was a river nearby where they could rest and water the horses.

 

And maybe Victor too.

 

He looked like a complete idiot as he rested his cheek on Yuuri's shoulder, smiling widely as though they were on a day trip and he wasn't the one  _dying_. Even if this entire undertaking was meant to prevent that, it was...somehow easy to forget that thanks to how ridiculous the merman could be. He'd beamed when Yuuri helped him up onto Vicchan, and looked at their surroundings with increasing curiosity as they rode further away from Hasetsu.

 

This was by no means the most comfortable trip Yuri had ever taken, but he wouldn't let anyone accuse him of being pampered (even though he was pretty sure his thighs were sure to be pretty bruised). The jolts of the road were different, and it was certainly no stuffy carriage that had Yuri bored out of his mind.

 

He could remember his grandfather showing him how to ride. He remembered giggling while his grandfather smiled at him approvingly and led his horse carefully. He'd had a kingdom to rule and a thousand other worries, and yet...

 

Yuri stopped thinking about that, and let Yuuri lead them to the river's edge. Hushing his sigh of relief, Yuri dismounted and led the grey horse to the water.

 

"How are you feeling?" he heard the other prince ask, and looked over towards the other two to watch Yuuri help Victor dismount.

 

The silver-haired man's boot-clad feet touched the grass, and Yuri could see his legs wobble slightly. Even so, Victor exaggeratedly draped his arms around Yuuri, who laughed softly as he caught Victor around the waist and held him up, all while smiling at him indulgently, like he was happy to go along with the little game.

 

Victor steadied himself, still holding on to Yuuri's shoulders, and replied, "I'm fine. It's...strange to wear these legs, but I've gone longer still. All those nights spent together..."

 

Yuri pointedly stared at the river, drowning out their voices and trying not to picture what it was Victor was suggesting.

 

They all drank generously, and Victor removed his boots, roll up his pant legs, and dip his feet into the water, his face filling with such relief that Yuri immediately thought he was worse off than either he or Yuuri thought. He didn't transform, looking exhausted as he removed his boots and sat on the edge, his smile fading at he stared at the clear waters of the river.

 

As he wondered how much time they actually had, Yuri heard the other prince ask, "So...any idea how your grandfather's going to react to all this?"

 

He looked up at Yuuri, who appeared concerned, at least. Yuri wondered what image his would-be fiance had of his grandfather, of the man who'd sent Yuri to court him. "No clue, but I think he'll get a laugh out of it." 

 

"He sounds like he's easy to get along with," Victor commented, looking blissful as he continued to sit at the river's edge.

 

"Well, he's a king. He has to be," Yuri muttered, wondering if he should have waited for his grandfather's reply, if he should have waited for whatever answer his grandfather would have given him. He was fairly confident any response would have been supportive, but...

 

He frowned as he sat on the grass, glaring at Victor and asking, "So how do you not know how to ride a horse? Don't you ride seahorses?"

 

Yuuri looked at him in wide-eyed surprise. "You do know they're incredibly tiny, right?" 

 

Victor, meanwhile, laughed softly and replied, "You don't ride seahorses. You watch their courtship dances." 

 

"...Fish are weird," Yuri concluded, eyeing Victor pointedly and hoping to God he wouldn't take his pants off again.

 

They had plenty of rations and Yuuri knew of places for them to stop at to rest and eat. They wouldn't lose time as they would have in a carriage, at least. In the few hours spent in Hasetsu after Yuuri's revelation to his family, he'd taken enough time to speak with Yuuko about just where he could find Georgi. 

 

Based on all of her information, he was currently south of Yuri's kingdom. It had been such a long trip to Hasetsu by carriage, with an entire retinue of people to witness Yuri's failed courtship. Hopefully this entire ordeal would last less than a month.

 

And that brought to mind the question as to how much time Victor had left. It seemed as though neither he nor Yuuri wanted to reveal that.

 

Yuri just hoped a month wouldn't be too late, and that when the time came they'd know just how to retrieve Victor's soul.

 

Honestly speaking, it almost felt as though they had all the resources needed to make it west, closer to Georgi and even disarmingly closer to Yuri's kingdom.

 

Yuuri knelt between Yuri and Victor, dipping cupped hands into the water and splashing his face with it, letting out a relieved breath even as he kept wearing that perpetually worried look on his face. 

 

Yuri had a very hard time picturing Yuuri killing a witch as powerful as Georgi, despite the vivid memory of the scar on Yuuri's stomach, proof of just how far he was willing to go for the sake of the smiling man.

 

Grandpa would have warned him to reserve judgement. In any case, Yuri was skilled enough. Annoyed enough to face a witch, and their blades were sharp enough to find the rotted heart of the man who'd taken more than Victor willingly gave. "So how far to the next village?" Yuri asked the other prince, already feeling slightly hungry. 

 

"A couple of hours. There's an inn. A smith and a stable for the horses. We should be there by nightfall, we should just rest a little while longer-"

 

"Hush, both of you."

 

Victor's voice startled them both. It was low and full of ice. Yuri stared at the merman, stunned by the sudden change in his demeanor. Victor got to his feet, alert and unsmiling, staring at their surroundings, gaze narrowing when it fell on the trees and bushes a short distance away from the shore.

 

Yuuri blinked up at Victor in alarmed bewilderment. "Victor, what-"

 

"Shh!" Victor hissed again, and Yuri watched that same glow from the night they met start to appear from...within his skin, originating from the base of his long throat. "Cover your ears," he warned.

 

Yuuri's eyes widened before he immediately obeyed, glancing around them anxiously.

 

Confused, Yuri was about to ask Victor what was wrong, but heard loud rustling coming from the direction Victor was staring at. 

 

Five men, dressed in varying types of worn leathers and armed with swords, and none of them with a hint of a friendly look on their faces. 

 

Cursing their luck, Yuri's heart started to race and he gritted his teeth. One of them was already eyeing Vicchan, at the well-made saddle and then at their clothes and cloaks.

 

It was like they smelled the money on them.

 

Yuri leapt to his feet, hand falling on the hilt of the sword hanging from his belt. One of the men, ugly and bearded, chuckled softly as he smiled at them, the expression turning cruel as he looked at Prince Yuuri, who stared back at him in frozen horror. "Covering your ears won't do much good, boy," he growled, aiming his sword at Yuri. "The money and horses. Now."

 

A soft ringing began in Yuri's ears, and...wasn't he about to unsheath his sword and run the bandit through? For some reason he stayed still, a strange calm turning his mind hazy and making his fury almost...melt away.

 

A moment later, when the bandits lowered their swords and the expressions on their faces turned blank, Yuri realized the low hum was coming from Victor, who was glowing brighter still, a silver moon, ablaze with power and danger.

 

The song...whatever it was, was beautiful, yet different from the soft, intimate song he'd heard on the beach that night.

 

Yuri, staring at Victor, barely heard the horses' nervous neighs and completely forgot about Yuuri crouching by the river, his ears still covered. He had no idea what was happening, what would happen next, but he just kept listening.

 

Victor's voice was soft and melodic, and his gaze beckoning as he said, "Please, gentlemen. There's no need to  ** _fight_**."

 

He'd said the last word in a snarl, and immediately after the five men turned their weapons on each other, screams of rage and pain dying out in bloody gurgles.

 

Yuri jumped towards it too late. Or he thought he did, bloodlust roaring in his chest as he obeyed Victor's command. Then something heavy crashed into him from his right side, knocking the wind out of him and pressing him to the ground.

 

The pain and a frightened whinny yanked Yuri back to himself, and he found himself dizzy and breathless in the sudden clarity, realizing Victor had stopped humming and that their attackers all lay dead on the grass, having attacked each other as Victor had ordered.

 

Ice filled Yuri's veins as he realized what had happened, that Yuuri had stopped him from hacking at the corpses or possibly getting himself killed. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Yuuri looking at him with shaky relief. Yuri shoved him off and demanded, "What the  _fuck_ did you do, Victor?!"

 

Eyes still hard as stone, Victor looked down at Yuri and replied shortly, "Defended us, that's what. And I  _told_ you to cover your ears."

 

His face hot, Yuri spat, "How the hell was I supposed to know you'd pull that shit!?"

 

"I didn't exactly have time to explain my plan to you," Victor said, walking towards them and crouching so he was at eye level with Yuuri, who was still shaking and staring at the corpses. That was when Victor's gaze turned gentle again, and he even sounded ashamed as he asked him as he took his face between his hands, "Are you alright?"

 

Yuuri blinked several times, breathing hard and swallowing before saying tightly, "...We have to get to Saika. There's an inn there, we can...spend the night there. But we're not staying here." He got to his feet and walked towards Vicchan and Makkachin, both horses skittish after the violence of the last couple of minutes.

 

Victor stared after him, pain flooding his gaze, before he stood up again and went to help Yuri up. His heart still racing, Yuri looked at Victor, not sure what to make of what he'd just experienced. He'd never seen anyone die. He hadn't thought Victor would have been capable of doing something like that, of using his song to drive humans to hack each other to pieces.

 

He didn't look like a predator. No, Victor looked...closed-off, his eyes bearing a hint of some kind of pain or worry. "Are you alright, Yuri?" he asked him.

 

"...Yeah, I'm fine," Yuri replied with a nod, urging himself to calm down again.

 

Victor nodded in acceptance before going to follow Yuuri, and Yuri turned to watch the taller man silently place a hand on the prince's shoulder, a quiet entreaty.

 

Yuuri's shoulders sagged after a pregnant pause, and he reached up to place his own hand over Victor's, giving it a long squeeze.

 

Yuri sighed and made his way over to Makkachin, trying to stop his legs from shaking.

 

He didn't look in the direction of the corpses, but he could smell them, and it made him sick.

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri kept the hood of his cloak up when they arrived in Saika, and no one seemed to recognize the prince, who remained silent while Yuri got them a room.

 

The three of them ate sparingly when they got to the village inn, and Yuri didn't think his appetite would return anytime soon as he lay awake in his bed, his back to Yuuri and Victor as they lay together across the room. 

 

He hadn't wanted to watch them kiss each other to sleep, annoyed by their murmured words of comfort as they repeatedly asking each other if they really were all right.

 

While they were eating, Yuuri even had the gall to ask Yuri if  _he_ was alright. Yuri had just glared at him until he gave up.

 

They hadn't discussed what Victor had done in the woods, but Yuri couldn't help thinking that all the stories about Victor's kind at least had some kind of factual basis now. The man, with all his idiotic smiles and lovesick sighs, really  _could_ cause a ship's crew to meet their doom.

 

Useful trick, at least. Maybe it'd work on Georgi.

 

Still, Yuri couldn't sleep as he thought about what he'd felt. 

 

He hated the thought of being controlled by anyone. At least Victor had warned him to cover his ears, but the sensation had been worlds different from the first time Yuri had heard Victor singing. Whereas that time was almost like an embrace, hearing it in the forest felt like every other choice had disappeared from Yuri's mind, and all he could do was listen for Victor's instruction.

 

He sighed and closed his eyes, hoping he could sleep. They'd leave at dawn, and the day had taught them that they needed to be more careful.

 

He must have dozed off because he woke up hearing... _Fuck,_ one of them was  _moaning!_

 

Fury filling Yuri to the brim, he rapidly sat up and threw his blanket up, ready to throttle them both.

 

Victor was glowing again and holding Yuuri, who was shaking and whimpering as he clutched Victor. 

 

Yuri stared at them, watching Victor stroke Yuuri's hair and hearing him hum softly. The sound had Yuri forgetting to panic, to cover his ears, but...there were still choices. Yuri wasn't waiting for an order, but he felt...calmer.

 

Victor glanced up at him briefly, still humming and pressing his lips to Yuuri's forehead, and a moment later Yuuri went still, his breaths evening out.

 

His anger gone, Yuri watched Victor sigh in relief as he continued to hold on to Yuuri, practically cradling him as his glow began to dim slightly. 

 

Really useful trick.

 

"He dreams of it sometimes. Of the shipwreck," Victor said quietly. "...Or he's dreaming about the forest."

 

Yuri nodded silently, watching Yuuri hang on tight to Victor like he didn't want him to slip away, and then the room became dark again. He lay down again, too tired to be irritated but still thinking about everything that had happened and what was yet to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> coming up: the start of friendships and more of the world victor dreamed of seeing


	5. People

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *plays Kingdom Dance from Tangled on repeat*

Yuri wasn't about to admit that Victor's singing helped him sleep deeply, even if it was directed specifically at one particular annoying prince with nightmares.

 

But it did help, even if he would  _never_ admit it out loud.

 

The three of them were sitting at a table in the inn, eating breakfast as quickly as they could. Victor was still looking around, eating quickly and smiling at everything and everyone. One could easily forget he'd made men kill each other the day before.

 

Yuuri certainly looked better than he had last night, and didn't seem to remember his whimpering from last night. He just looked mildly tired, and kept dodging people's looks in their direction like he had been the night before, not wanting to be recognized. Yuri took no such precautions, willfully ignoring everyone else.

 

"I'm going outside to look around," Victor said, getting up from the table as soon as his plate was empty. 

 

"Victor!" Yuuri exclaimed in a whisper, ready to get up and follow the silver-haired man.

 

"I'll just be outside," Victor replied, giving Yuuri's hand a quick squeeze before darting away, hair trailing in his wake before he walked out the door and disappeared.

 

Yuuri sighed as he watched him leave, still looking worried. Yuri stared at him, exasperated, and said, "Look he'll be fine. If someone messes with him he can just...sing at them until their heads explode."

 

Face blanching, Yuuri visibly shivered and rubbed his temples. "Gods, don't joke about that."

 

Yuri gazed at him thoughtfully with a slight frown, and after a moment said, "Don't tell me you had no idea he could do that."

 

The other prince frowned back at him. "Of course I knew. Merpeople are pretty predatory, it's just..." He sighed again and dragged a hand through his already messy hair. "Look, I got attacked by some demonic monster. That doesn't mean I'm used to violence and...and blood."

 

"Well, you might be seeing a lot of that by the time we're done with Georgi," Yuri said matter-of-factly. "And that trick might be handy in case we run into that thing that almost got you killed."

 

Yuuri paled even more at the mention of it, and Yuri wondered how he'd ever gone on that first journey if he was such a coward. Still frowning, Yuri got up and asked, "Are you coming out?"

 

"Yes, I...I just have to pay the innkeeper," Yuuri murmured, still looking down into his plate, his stare somewhat unfocused.

 

Yuri looked at him for a moment before leaving and going after Victor. It would probably be a good idea to avoid any bloody shows while they were still in Saika. 

 

Once outside again Yuri took a deep breath and looked around for Victor. He spotted him down the road, surrounded by...goats.

 

The merman was kneeling between four goats, and one of them was a tiny little black and grey spotted thing that Victor was cooing over while it bleated at him.

 

Yuri was surprised there weren't birds tweeting around him. Rolling his eyes, he made his way over to him, sparing a glance towards the wizened crone sitting on a stool, smiling while a merman was preparing to possibly kidnap her goats. "What the hell are you doing?" Yuri asked.

 

Victor didn't look up at him, scratching the baby goat's chin and cooing, "You are the most adorable thing I've ever seen!" He then looked up at Yuri, glancing behind him and frowning in confusion. "Where's Yuuri?"

 

"Paying our bill. Get up, we're leaving."

 

"Aww, but how can you resist a cute little face like this?" Victor asked, cradling the baby goat's face in his hands.

 

"Real easy," Yuri droned, starting to lose his patience.

 

He then heard quick footsteps from behind him and turned to see Yuuri making his way towards them, his hood up again. "There you both are," he said, smiling briefly at the sight of Victor with the goats. "I took care of everything, and the horses are fed and watered. We should be good to go."

 

"Is it safe to assume our prince is on a journey with two suitors?" the old woman suddenly asked, her voice eerie in its near silence.

 

Yuuri froze for a moment before lowering his face and attempting to deepen his voice as he stuttered, "S-sorry, you must have mistaken me for someone-"

 

"Would you stop that shit?" Yuri growled, elbowing the prince while Victor got to his feet and gazed at the woman cautiously. 

 

The woman laughed softly, but kept her voice soft as she said to Yuuri, "You may have fooled most of the people in this village, young prince, but those of us who do pay attention know about the golden prince who came to try and win your hand." She glanced at Victor and added, "Then again, the way you look at  _this_ young man already tells me that your hand is already won."

 

Yuri blinked at her, mildly annoyed that what he'd dreaded most was going to happen; he was becoming a laughingstock, same as every other suitor that marched into Hasetsu.

 

"Please, I...I'd rather no one knew I was here," Yuuri said quietly, still trying to keep his face ducked and hidden.

 

But the old woman laughed softly and said soothingly, "Don't worry, young man, I'll not tell tales. I daresay some would find it hard to believe two princes lodged here."

 

She then walked up the road, still chuckling as her goats followed her, the baby clambering away from Victor's side.

 

The merman stared after her, still looking cautious before smiling and saying, "She was nice."

 

Yuuri didn't smile. He looked disturbed, and quickly reached for Victor's hand to lead him back towards the stables. "We have to go," he muttered as he walked past Yuri, his and Victor's cloaks billowing behind them. 

 

Yuri followed them, pulling his own hood up as he went.

 

* * *

 

It was wet and humid and Yuri was pretty sure the mosquitoes were making a meal of him as they made camp that night at the river's edge.

 

But they weren't moving anytime soon, not when Victor was yet again sitting at the river's edge, only this time he wore his silver tail, dipping it in the flowing water with a look of pleasure.

 

Yuuri, meanwhile, preoccupied himself by combing out Victor's hair from its long plait, no longer frowning but still looking a little anxious.

 

They were all exhausted, Yuri's thighs aching from riding for most of the day with a few rests for the horses. Both of them stood a few feet away, as close as Victor and Yuuri.

 

Yuri could at least be proud of the fire he'd made, staring at the flames flickering in that small pit as he tried to forget about making a fool of himself. Supposedly it wasn't foolish to help anyone who needed it, and J.J. wasn't here helping these two idiots. He supposed that made him feel a little better.

 

"Tired, Yurio?" Victor asked. "You can go ahead and sleep. We're perfectly safe here."

 

"Yeah, right," Yuri replied grumpily, cocooned in his cloak. "I'd rather stay awake so I can slice some bandit's neck myself."

 

"I'd rather not see any bandits at all," Yuuri said quietly. "How are you feeling?" he asked Victor.

 

"I'm fine,  _detka_ ," Victor answered patiently. "I'm just a little sore. Nothing too bad."

 

Yuri observed them and the unexpected intimacy between them, even when Yuuri was still being so closed-off and reserved. Hell, Yuuri had been a difficult man to pin down  ever since Yuri met him. He was so timid and yet he'd been making fools out of everyone by having Victor on the side. "So how do a guy with silver hair and the prince of Hasetsu walk around the kingdom together without anyone noticing something's up?" he finally asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

 

Yuuri tensed while Victor turned to look at Yuri with a wide smile, replying, "Yuuri didn't always join me, unfortunately. The time we did spend together in the light of day was more...private." 

 

"Hiding, right?" Yuri, surmised. 

 

Yuuri's shoulders were particularly tense before he said quietly, "I wasn't ashamed or anything. I just...You know my reasons."

 

"Pretty stupid reasons," Yuri muttered.  "You could've just gotten married and I wouldn't have made a fool of myself."

 

He watched Yuuri's blush deepen guiltily. "I'm sorry, Yurio."

 

But Victor frowned at Yuri disapprovingly. "Don't scold him, Yurio! Yuuri was trying to do right by his family, and he made many friends even after rejecting those suitors. You could have just as easily told your grandfather that you don't want to get married."

 

It was Yuri's turn to blush, and he glared at them both before looking at the ground. "No, I couldn't."

 

"Why?"

 

"None of your business!" Yuri shot back.

 

But Victor just kept gazing at him knowingly. "He's all you have, isn't he?" he asked.

 

Yuuri put a hand on Victor's shoulder, quietly warning, "Victor..."

 

But Victor just went on, saying firmly, "Then you understand. You can't just forget your duty to your family. To _your_ kingdom. And if you think I haven't told Yuuri to marry one of  _them_ , you're wrong. I would've never stopped loving him, and all he had to do was say the word and I'd leave for good."

 

Yuri found that hard to believe, but before he could say anything Yuuri looked right at Victor. "Never," he said, just as firm. "I want to marry  _you._ Not anyone else. Yurio's right, I should've done right by you from the start and not let this go on."

 

"At least you're finally thinking," Yuri muttered, the entire length of his body stiff with aching sleeplessness. He eyed them both, at the way they both seemed to relax after a handful of sweet words to each other, and threw at Victor, "What about you? All that talk about family and duty. Who did  _you_ leave behind when you decided to get trade your soul for those legs?"

 

Any tenderness in Yuuri's gaze disappeared as he rounded it on Yuri, suddenly cold and angry. But Yuri kept looking at Victor, who stared back steadily, neither angry nor sad as he replied, "No one. I was on my own when I found Yuuri."

 

He said it so earnestly, as though it were nothing to be on one's own.

 

And the way he said it made it clear that it wasn't just loneliness. It was total solitude.

 

At that, Yuri had dozens of questions, one of which being why he was alone, but there was that damn tact his grandfather kept reminding him of, and despite Victor's casual tone, there was good reason why Yuuri was glaring at Yuri like he was some bratty schoolkid who'd just pulled Victor's hair.

 

Managing to empathize with the feeling of solitude at least, Yuri scrounged up a bit of shame and muttered, "...Sorry."

 

Victor's frosty look faded, immediately replaced by a wide and cheery smile. "Don't be. I got to meet Yuuri and the Nishigoris. And you as well."

 

Yuri forced himself not to feel warmed by that acknowledgement. True, he himself hadn't had a lot of friends growing up, but he had no time to worry about that. He was his grandfather's only living heir, willing to do everything possible to make the man happy. Except get married, especially to a prince who already had someone on the side. And here Victor was acting like they were friends on an adventure. "So what? We're the best of friends now?" he asked somewhat dryly. 

 

"Couldn't we be?" Victor asked, still so damn earnest.

 

Yuuri himself looked surprised, giving Yuri a less hostile look, one that looked almost like a quiet entreaty.

 

Yuri had no idea what the other prince wanted from him. Understanding? Absolution? Yuri was too tired to provide any of that.

 

* * *

 

"We're almost in Silla," Yuuri said, looking particularly cheerful as he said it.

 

Yuri felt anything but cheerful. It had been days since they left Saika, and they had either stopped at lonely inns or in the wilderness when night fell, and while Yuri liked to think that he wasn't  _spoiled_ he and his back had long ago started to miss comforts like hot water, food that  _wasn't_ road rations, and a good mattress that didn't smell funny.

 

Still, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of amusement at the thought of approaching the famous kingdom. "Planning on dropping in on King Seung-gil? He's got to be the only one that didn't try proposing to you," he said to Yuuri, riding up beside him and Victor. The merman still rested his chin on Yuuri's shoulder, only sighing every few minutes and squeezing the prince's waist like it was his one comfort. Yuuri had kept them close to bodies of water, urging Victor to take every chance he could to put his tail back on, so to speak, and take a few minutes in the water.

 

Yuri wasn't ignorant. Victor's spirits were high, but there was no denying his exhaustion and pallor, and more than once Yuri had noticed how much of a strain transforming was. 

 

Even so, he would sing them to sleep whenever they stayed in an inn, but the light that seemed to spring out of his soul looked dimmer as the days passed. Even so, he sang.

 

Yuuri blushed slightly, but answered, "Seung-gil was already engaged to someone else by the time all that started."

 

"Prince Phichit, right?"

 

The dark-eyed prince smiled again. He and Prince Phichit had been close friends since childhood, but because of the southern prince's prior engagement there was never any talk of pairing him up with Yuuri. But despite their closeness, Phichit hadn't known about Victor. "That's right. They've been engaged since they were little. You wouldn't think so at first sight, but those two really adore each other."

 

"You're friends, right? Can't we stay in Seung-gil's castle? We need baths. We stink," Yuri said, making sure he wasn't whining but being as firm as he could. They were making good time, and they were all beaten down. Even if Yuuri wanted to remain incognito during their quest, they needed to wake up not feeling like total crap for once.

 

Yuuri bit his lip uncertainly. "I couldn't ask...Victor, what do you think?"

 

Victor raised his head from its spot on Yuuri's shoulder, smiling tiredly at the other man and saying, "I'd love to meet more of your friends, and the horses deserve a good rest too."

 

That seemed to decide the issue for Yuuri, though he said nothing as he led the way towards Silla.

 

A couple of hours later Yuri heard an enormous amount of people and activity as they neared the walled kingdom, and once again Yuuri was pulling his hood back up. Yuri did the same, recalling the fact that people knew there was a western prince that had gone to court the elusive Prince Yuuri. 

 

Even so, people noticed them. Who wouldn't when there were that many happy-looking people walking around acting like there was a party about to start and Victor was looking around at everything, smiling like an idiot?

 

The commotion got even worse when they rode into the city. 

 

They dismounted the horses to stretch their legs, sticking as close as possible to each other in the middle of the enormous mass of  _happy._

 

"Is it someone's birthday?" Victor asked, watching as two men carried bushels of flowers past them like their heels were on fire.

 

"Seung-gil's birthday isn't for another month," Yuuri replied, looking totally bewildered as they wove their way through the crowds. 

 

Yuri thought that all this pomp was worthy of a wedding. He could smell all the hot food in the air, and hoped they'd stop somewhere soon. He was  _dying_ of hunger, and all the surrounding scents were making it worse.

 

As they were making their way up the main road up to the castle atop the highest hill, Victor took it upon himself to ask a passing young woman, "Excuse me, but what's going on?"

 

She looked momentarily knocked-out by his smile, and her own was so wide as she blushed and replied, "You haven't heard? Prince Phichit's making a surprise visit! A messenger came and let everyone know this morning!"

 

Yuri blinked at her in surprise. Phichit was not the heir to his kingdom's throne, and according to everyone he damn sure acted like it. Yuuri didn't look all that surprised, laughing softly and shaking his head as he said, "Of course he is..."

 

A royal visit, one that was likely to go way better than Yuri's own visit to Hasetsu.

 

Then again, that visit wasn't exactly  _over_ yet.

 

After a minute of urging from Victor to make their way towards the castle so he could meet Yuuri's friend, Yuri was still ignoring his sore legs and feet as he led Makkachin by the reins, all of them getting out of the way as the people of Silla prepared for a parade.

 

They were close to the castle gates, which were open in anticipation of the prince's arrival. They could have been preparing for a wedding, but Yuuri assured them that Seung-gil planned on marrying his intended in the traditional way, with as many distinguished guests as possible.

 

Cheers suddenly erupted up the lines of people gathered by the main road, and Yuuri led them all towards the edge of the crowd, peering down the road in time to catch sight of the open carriage with a driver and an attendant where Prince Phichit sat, clad in red and gold and waving at the crowds as they threw flowers in his direction. 

 

Yuuri's smile was wide and delighted as he suddenly waved when the other prince's carriage came closer, and maybe it was because Phichit was doing everything he could to twist around and get a good look at everybody, but his dark eyes quickly found Yuuri, narrowing in brief disbelief before widening in sudden recognition. 

 

" _YUURI!"_ Phichit shouted, urging the driver to a stop as a delighted smile spread across his face. He beckoned Yuuri over enthusiastically, making Yuuri blush before Victor grabbed him by the hand and pulled him towards the carriage, the bewildered attendant leaving the carriage to take the horses' reins while Yuri scrambled to catch up to the other two men.

 

The cheers intensified when they clambered onto the carriage, Phichit immediately grabbing his friend and wrapping him up in a tight hug that caused his hood to fall. Yuuri held back for only a moment before hugging Phichit back just as tightly.

 

Victor observed the greeting with a smile while Yuri was just grateful to be off his feet and not on a horse anymore. 

 

Finally releasing Yuuri, Phichit exclaimed as loud as he could over the cheering, "What are you doing here?! I heard you were expecting another prospective bride! Or was it a groom this time?"

 

" _Groom_ ," Yuri growled without thinking.

 

The prince's eyes fell on him, and they once again widened, as well as his mouth as though he'd heard some particularly juicy piece of gossip. A shadow passed over them and Yuri realized they were in the castle grounds now, and he could hear Phichit say in clear shock, "Oh gods...Are you two  _eloping?!"_

 

Yuuri blanched and both he and Yuri blurted out at the same time, " _NO!"_

 

Victor leaned in, beaming, and said to Phichit, "If Yuuri is eloping with anyone it's with  _me_."

 

The prince looked surprised to see Victor, looking at all three of them like he was trying to reconcile his friend's sudden appearance and the fact that he was traveling with two men. His smile, all mischief and surprise, reappeared on his face, and he turned to look at Yuuri with such an intense curiosity.

 

Yuuri smiled back sheepishly. "It's a long story."

 

"And I want to hear everything," Phichit said, grinning eagerly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phichit wouldn't be phichit if he didn't LEAP to conclusions xD
> 
> please comment!


	6. Dance

_Fireworks had sparkled across the sky as they stood on the deck of the ship, music and singing filling the air as they celebrated Mari's birthday._

 

_No one had expected the storm that seemed to tear the ship apart, only giving them enough time to place the king, the queen, and the princess in lifeboats. Then the ship lurched violently and Yuuri went overboard, his shocked scream choking him right before he hit the water in an impact that sparked flame throughout his limbs._

 

_Pulled down repeatedly, Yuuri felt like he sank forever, his limbs heavy and useless in the dark deep, the ship slowly sinking._

 

_He was scared. He tried, **tried** to swim but he was so exhausted and his chest felt like it was about to burst._

 

_What felt like arms wrapped securely around his waist, and suddenly he was moving...up again, it appeared, his cheek resting against something warm and solid._

 

_He lost consciousness before reaching the surface. He woke up an eternity later to the sound of someone singing softly as they stroked his cheek, and opened his eyes to stare up into blue eyes in a lovely face surrounded by a halo of diamond-bright hair._

 

* * *

 

Yuri hadn't heard the entire story before now, finding himself staring at Yuuri and Victor as the former talked about the ship sinking and Victor's timely rescue, his eyes pained with memory while Victor held his hand tightly. He explained what they had set out to do, and Georgi's role in everything.

 

They were in the chambers Seung-gil had assigned to the three of them, and at least Yuri had his own room. Both the monarch and the younger prince were sitting in front of them, Phichit gazing in utter fascination while Seung-gil had worn the same unreadable expression on his face as he stood behind his fiance with his arms crossed against his chest.

 

"We don't have much time," Yuuri said quietly, and Yuri knew he actually meant that Victor didn't have much time. "We can't stay long. All we can do is rest and be on our way. I don't want to lose track of Georgi again and ruin our chances of finding him."

 

"What do you intend to do, then?" asked the king, appearing unfazed by the revelation of the existence of creatures such as merpeople. Unlike Phichit he hadn't betrayed much of a reaction as Yuuri told his story. The only visible changes in his expression were a raised eyebrow when Phichit strolled into the palace and into an embrace with him with two princes and a silver-haired man in tow, all of them looking slightly worse for wear and a minute flare of irritation when it appeared that Phichit was paying more attention to his friend than his fiance. "Were you planning on merely confronting this witch and hoping he was feeling charitable enough to return a valuable merman soul?"

 

Yuuri blushed and the damn ends of Victor's hair briefly flared as he glared at the king before giving him a disarming smile. "Contrary to his majesty's belief, none of us is entirely useless. Both Yuuri and Yurio are excellent swordsmen and I have my own abilities."

 

"Like what!?" Phichit asked excitedly.

 

"Well, so far when he sings it makes people kill each other," Yuri replied, a little antsy to get a decent bath and a meal. He wasn't about to mention that he'd been close to falling for it himself, having had enough of embarrassing himself in front of other royals.

 

Phichit gave Victor an astonished look, practically vibrating as he beamed. "I'm not even bothered that you didn't even  _tell_ me about all this, Yuuri! You led so many people on such a chase for so long! No one expected something like this!"

 

Yuuri bit his lip, keeping his gaze averted from his friend's. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let it keep going for as long as it did. It wasn't fair to...a lot of people," he said, glancing at Yuri.

 

He looked away, not sure how to feel about this continued acknowledgement of his humiliation from the older prince. 

 

Phichit reached over to squeeze Yuuri's shoulder, giving him a calm smile. "We all know how demanding our roles can be. You wanted something just for yourself and you wanted to do good by your family. I couldn't really say what I'd do if I was the one in your position."

 

"Which you're not," Seung-gil said, still frowning slightly. "I'm a king, not a magical creature of legend who seduces princes."

 

Yuuri groaned and with his face behind his hands while Victor beamed proudly. 

 

"I'm empathizing, darling," Phichit said, patting Yuuri's shoulders. "Come on, you're invited to tonight's ball. You'll rest up, put on some nice clothes, and celebrate my upcoming wedding while we start planning yours."

 

"That sounds wonderful! We'd be delighted!" Victor quickly replied, looking utterly excited for a dying man.

 

Yuuri gave him an uncertain look. "But...Victor..."

 

The merman turned to give Yuuri a calm smile, his excitement toned down to simple aching yearning as he took Yuuri's hands in his. "I want to dance with you in front of a hundred people, Yuuri. I want the world to see us together, and how much we love each other."

 

Yuri gave in and rolled his eyes at the merman's ridiculous words, but Yuuri looked like he bought into them, his gaze softening as he gave Victor a tiny smile and said, "...Alright.  

 

Yuri wanted to groan. Formal events were annoying, and he had several unpleasant memories of being stuffed into fitted clothes and tossed out into a ballroom to dance as his merciless dance tutor had instructed him. At least it was one more thing he could do exceedingly well.

 

"Wonderful. More guests." If Seung-gil meant it sarcastically, Yuri couldn't really tell.

 

* * *

 

The clothes were comfortable at least, and as made up as he was Yuri felt cleaner than he had in  _days_. 

 

He'd luxuriated in a bath for what felt like hours and slept for a long time in his  _own_ room, uninterrupted by lovey-dovey murmurings from his companions.

 

But he did dream, unsettling dreams that had him waking up feeling not-quite-rested. But it was a rest, nonetheless, and there'd been a quick meal brought to his room in the middle of all the commotion of preparing for a royal ball in honor of Phichit's arrival. And Yuri supposed it was in honor of his and Yuuri's unexpected attendance. 

 

Food, though. He couldn't wait for the heaping plates of food. His hunger was enough to make him forget his table manners. There were several occasions during his childhood when he just devoured entire plates, but back then such an act was enough to make his grandfather let out a booming laugh. 

 

When he met up with Victor and Yuuri again in the king's solar, as requested, the prince still looked rather inconspicuous but elegant, as usual, dressed in dark blue with his hair slicked back. Victor was a silver star beside him, his hair in one long braid that hung over his shoulder, his clothes a stunning white with silver embellishments. 

 

The silver idiot was more preoccupied with adjusting Yuuri's hair, laughing as Yuuri tried to bat his hands away while he blushed. Yuri sighed and wondered just how he kept letting himself be roped into these situations. He would have preferred sleeping the entire evening away rather than enduring a quick fitting of clothes they had lying around the place and trying to come up with shit to say to the rest of the nobility who would no doubt surround them with all their annoying curiosity.

 

Hopefully the two idiots would draw most of the attention away from him.

 

"Yurio!" Victor exclaimed as he turned and caught sight of Yuri. He made his way over to him and started to fuss over his green suit. "Don't we all look so funny in these clothes? They're so...shiny!"

 

"You're the one that glows," Yuri growled, slapping Victor's hand away as Yuuri walked up behind him, adjusting his collar with a nervous look on his face.

 

"That's true, but human clothes can be so strange!" Victor said, looking down at his own outfit as he gave a turn. "They're so pretty, though. Yuuri, we should make sure we dress up just like this for our wedding!"

 

One corner of Yuuri's mouth lifted in a smile, and even Yuri found himself still surprised by Victor's optimism.

 

The door suddenly opened, revealing Seung-gil in an even more conspicuous robe of many colors that made Yuri's eyes hurt. Behind him was Phichit, his hair carefully styled and his outfit a stunning scarlet with gold embellishments. Seung-gil held a box in his hands, wordlessly opening it to reveal two items: a single roll of parchment and a golden circular medallion with a red gem in the center that looked almost like an eye. He presented them to Yuuri, who looked at the items in confusion.

 

"Two things," Seung-gil said in a firm tone. "This amulet was my grandmother's. She told me that it was good for revealing truths. I'm not completely sure what it meant, though."

 

"So it's a shiny lie-detector?" Yuri asked dryly.

 

Seung-gil threw him an icy look. "It's probably useful against a witch like this Georgi. He tricked a merman, after all."

 

"To be fair that's probably not the hardest thing to do," Yuri muttered, ignoring Yuuri's scowl.

 

Victor seemed to be ignoring the insult as well, gazing at the amulet before picking it up and immediately putting it around Yuuri's neck. "Thank you," he said quietly, looking at Yuuri even as he addressed Seung-gil. "We truly appreciate all of your help."

 

Phichit was looking at his intended with awe, as though surprised that he was offering such a treasure so easily. Seung-gil then picked up the roll of parchment and handed it to Yuuri, saying, "This is a map leading to the potential location of sacred healing waters presided over by a melusine closer to where this Georgi was last spotted. It may prove useful as well."

 

"A melusine? Here?" Victor asked, looking pleasantly surprised.

 

Yuri was confused. "What the hell's a melusine?"

 

"They're like merpeople," Yuuri replied, unrolling the map and studying it. "They guard over sacred springs and rivers. I didn't even think to try and look for one the last time I tried." He looked up at Seung-gil, his eyes glowing with gratitude. "Thank you, Seung-gil."

 

Phichit suddenly wrapped his fiance in a tight hug from behind, though Seung-gil hardly reacted. "I'm so glad I'm marrying you," Phichit practically sang. "Let's get married right now, darling!"

 

"Perhaps," Seung-gil replied, letting the prince squeeze him.

 

* * *

 

At least the court of Silla was slightly less boring than Yuri had expected.

 

He was sitting down with a plate of shrimp in his hands, feeling pleasantly full as he watched everyone dance and chatter. While the ball had been held for Seung-gil and Phichit, Yuuri and Victor were also the stars of the evening, Yuuri leading Victor in several dances.

 

Both men laughed and smiled at each other as though they had forgotten their immediate troubles, and Yuri couldn't even really feel annoyed by it. What did annoy him was how everyone who  _wasn't_ preoccupied with either couple was asking him if his supposed courtship with Yuuri wasn't going well, or who Victor was.

 

Hell, there were even a few familiar faces whom Yuri knew would likely carry news of Yuri's evening in Silla back home to his grandfather, and he knew he'd have a lot of explaining to do.

 

Then there was a handful that kept asking him to dance. Man or woman, he led repeatedly, occupying them with energetic movements that helped him avoid their irritating questions.

 

He was exhausted by the time he grabbed his plate, smirking a little as he remembered how, earlier in the evening, he'd almost choked at the sight of Victor eating shrimp. Yuuri assured him that Victor had a similar diet under the sea, and even told him that back when Victor first got his legs he was in the habit of eating bushels of flowers.

 

People seemed to be bored with trying to cajole answers out of Yuri, so they settled on watching Victor and Yuuri dance. The silver idiot, surprisingly, wasn't floundering across the ballroom, and Yuri wondered how long Yuuri had spent teaching him how to dance.

 

"They look gorgeous together," he heard Phichit say beside him, turning in time to watch the other prince sit down on the seat beside his looking flushed and tired from all the dancing he'd done. He took a long sip of the chilled fruit juice set on the table, and fanned himself for a moment before looking at Yuri, eyes filled with curiosity. "So I've been dying to know this all day; what's your stake in all of this? As far as I know you just met Yuuri."

 

Yuri eyed the older prince with irritation, realizing he should've known he hadn't escaped yet. "Maybe I just wanted to put an end to all this suitor nonsense," he replied acidly, popping another shrimp into his mouth and chewing angrily.

 

"Mmm." Phichit turned away for a moment, looking at his fiance as he made the rounds, looking about as irritated as Yuri felt. "So what are your plans once you help get Victor's soul back?"

 

"I'll head back home," Yuri muttered, not really able to picture what that would be like, or his grandfather's reaction to everything. He supposed he owed the man a longer letter that explained everything.

 

Suddenly exhausted and losing the rest of his appetite, Yuri set his plate back on the table and got up. "I'm heading to my room. Thank your future husband for me," he said as he walked past Phichit. It was beyond rude and his tutors would have died to hear and see him leaving the ballroom without observing the proper niceties, but he was suddenly feeling stifled by his clothes and the atmosphere, not wanting to risk having anyone interrogate him again as to why he didn't mind his own supposed fiance dance with another man.

 

He turned to stare at them, observing the way Yuuri lay his head on Victor's shoulder as they held each other close in a slower dance that included other couples, thankfully. 

 

Whatever their troubles, they seemed to know what their future looked like. 

 

Yuri hated not knowing what his would look like. He sighed and kept close to the wall and made his way out of the ballroom, his head pounding as he made his way up to his room to write that damned letter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in the alternate version of this scene the drunk sochi breakdance scene happened and a drunk seung-gil kept smooching phichit
> 
>  
> 
> please comment!


	7. Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tunes:
> 
> my love - sia  
> death of vesper - david arnold (casino royale soundtrack)  
> heavy in your arms - florence + the machine  
> stay with me - danity kane  
> monkey's story - dario marianelli (kubo and the two strings soundtrack)
> 
> and for the final scene :)  
> the dalish elves' encampment - inon zur (dragon age origins soundtrack)

Yuri dreamed of his mother.

 

It was usually the same moment: him small and toddling after her as she walked off without looking back, and him filled with a painful, terrifying loneliness.

 

His chest and throat hurt like he'd been crying, sobbing, calling for her, only in the dreams his grandfather never came to comfort him like he had in real life. Yuri was left alone.

 

And when he woke up he remembered that he was alone, in his own room in Seung-gil's palace.

 

The room was dark because...he'd closed the curtains in the night after finishing his letter. It had to be dawn because he  _couldn't_ bear the thought of going back to sleep after...after that.

 

He blinked away the moisture in his eyes, embarrassed at himself for being so childish. He was  _fine_ , he didn't need nor did he miss his mother. He had his grandfather and he was all Yuri needed. 

 

He stubbornly wiped his eyes, his head aching from the damn tears. Really he was no better than that damn Yuuri, sighing and whining over that idiot fish who made a stupid deal with a witch all for some legs and a prince.

 

Stupid. Completely stupid.

 

Yuri turned and buried his face in his pillow, his head still pounding. 

 

Then he realized that if it was dawn, why hadn't Yuuri or Victor come to find him?

 

He snorted bitterly at the thought of them partying until the late hours of the night, resulting in them oversleeping.

 

Or...

 

...

 

Yuri remembered with an awful jolt all the times that Yuuri urged him to return home, to his grandfather.

 

_Did you fucking idiots leave me behind?!_

 

"Oh  _hell_ no!" Yuri roared, kicking his blankets off and bolting out of the bed, fury making him see red as he pushed the doors to his chambers open and leaped out onto the hallway.

 

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a servant girl carrying a basket of what appeared to be laundry. She stared right back at him, eyes wide with surprise at his appearance. 

 

Rounding on her, Yuri barked, " _HEY!"_

 

"ACK!" she cried, jumping in fear and dropping her basket on the ground before recovering and giving him a low, shaky bow. "Y-your highness!"

 

"Where the  _fuck_ is Prince Yuuri?! Did he leave?!" Yuri demanded as soon as he was standing over her, oblivious to the fact that she was petrified.

 

She flinched at his tone and frantically shook her head as she straightened. "N-no, your highness! Prince Yuuri is...he's with Master Victor in their rooms. Master Victor fainted a little while ago. He must have fallen ill sometime in the night."

 

Her words melted away Yuri's anger, though it took him a moment to fully process them, and then his heart gave an awful lurch.

 

Victor had fainted.

 

He was _fine_ the night before. He'd been dancing with Yuuri like it was their wedding day the last Yuri saw him, beaming and fucking glowing with such joy, as if they had already succeeded in their quest.

 

It was too good to be true the whole time, and now that silver-haired idiot was probably dying.

 

His ire quickly cooling, Yuri looked at the girl and asked in as calm a tone as he could muster, "Is Victor still alive?"

 

She nodded immediately, staring up at him nervously. "Y-yes, your highness. Prince Phichit is with him as well. He and Prince Yuuri haven't left his bedside. The doctors just left them."

 

Yuri gave her one nod before quickly walking past her and towards the rooms assigned to Yuuri and Victor.

 

He didn't bother knocking when he got to the door, pushing it open and walking right in, ready to shout Yuuri's name as he stalked towards the bedroom. He discovered there was no need to shout, finding Yuuri sitting on a chair with his back to Yuri, wholly focused on the pale, unconscious man lying on the bed, his silver hair strewn on the pillow. Phichit was indeed in the room as well, but he'd stood when Yuri barged in, looking shocked at his arrival. Ignoring him, Yuri walked right towards Yuuri, grabbing his shoulder and exclaiming, "What the hell happened?!"

 

That seemed to shake Yuuri from his vigil, though when he looked up at Yuri he didn't let go of Victor's hand, and his face was almost...gaunt with distress, and it was quite obvious that he'd been crying. "Yurio..." 

 

"Victor was on his way to wake you up," Phichit explained, and Yuri turned to look at him, observing the grim look on his face. "And...well, Yuuri said he just passed out." He turned to look at the merman lying on the bed, his brows coming close together in a deep frown of worry. "He just...looks so weak. He was fine last night."

 

"...It's been happening for months." They both immediately looked at Yuuri at the sound of his soft words, heavy with grief and worry as he sat in his chair, holding on to Victor's hand in both of his. His eyes were squeezed shut, and when he spoke again his voice was tight with tears. "It's been happening slowly, so I thought...I thought he had more time." He opened his eyes and blinked rapidly as his tears finally raced down his cheeks unchecked. "I told him...I told him to stay home and not risk himself, but he...he..."

 

The sorrow on Phichit's face mirrored Yuuri's, and he immediately went to stand behind Yuuri and place both hands on his shoulders, squeezing them sympathetically. "He wants to be with you, Yuuri. Through everything. He loves you. Anyone who looked at him last night could see that! Did you expect him to wait for you back in Hasetsu?"

 

Yuuri just shook his head, shutting his eyes again as his head drooped, tears dropping down to his hands, clenched around Victor's. "I don't deserve him," he sobbed quietly.

 

Before Phichit could voice his own gentler denial, Yuri growled, "Would you shut up?"

 

They both turned to look at him, Phichit glaring at him, but Yuri only looked at the other prince, the one his father meant for him to marry, and continued firmly, "He's not an idiot. Well, he is, but...you don't need to keep selling yourself short. He's with you for a reason. He loves you. Maybe I won't ever feel that for anyone, but even I can see that he'll never regret choosing you."  _Even if it kills him_.

 

Yuuri looked up at him with such resigned disbelief, and looked ready to ignore Yuri's words. Then he gave a small jolt when a quiet, tired voice said into the silence, "He's right, you know."

 

The three of them all turned in Victor's direction, and to Yuri's shock the merman's eyes were open. He looked incredibly tired and dazed, but his eyes were still full of fire and adoration as he gazed at Yuuri, a tender smile on his face. He leaned on an elbow and began to sit up, but Yuuri quickly got to his feet to gently place a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Don't get up!" he admonished in a shaky voice before tears started flowing down his cheeks again. "Gods, Victor...I...I thought..."

 

Victor gave Yuuri a pained, guilty look, sighing softly as he reached up to place a hand over Yuuri's. "I hate making you cry, my love."

 

Yuuri let out a broken sob before sinking onto the bed and burying his face in Victor's chest, shoulders shaking as he wept quietly while Yuri and Phichit watched, Yuri suddenly feeling powerless. He watched as something reminiscent of fear and sorrow filled Victor's eyes before he closed his eyes again and placed a hand in Yuuri's hair, stroking it gently.

 

Phichit gave a little sniffle beside Yuri, and said in a quiet tone, "I'm...I'm going to go find Seung-gil." His voice choked off at the end, and he hurried away looking tearful, but not before giving Yuri a pointed look.

 

It was an obvious instruction for him to leave them alone, but he couldn't quite summon up the will to do so. He knew he  _should_ say something to comfort Yuuri, because there seemed no good way for this to end. Not when Victor had deteriorated so rapidly. Looking at him now, with shadows beneath his eyes and a pale translucency to his skin, he looked nothing like he had the night before, dancing so happily with Yuuri.

 

Yuri didn't want to leave. Staying felt too important, like he needed to see for himself that Victor was still alive. When he opened his eyes, Victor looked right at Yuri, and gave him a soft smile. It overwhelmed Yuri, making him recall those nights around a fire or in some room in an inn when Victor would give him a playful smile, oblivious to Yuri's irritation or just plain ignoring it. When had that started to feel so normal and welcome? 

 

Yuuri had quieted but hadn't moved, and Victor just kept stroking his hair, closing his eyes again and saying in a soft voice, "I remember the first time I ever saw you, standing on the deck of that ship. You were watching your parents dance, and I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen."

 

 

Yuuri's shoulders shook again, and he raised his head to give Victor a tearful gaze, though he was smiling shakily. " _You_ were beautiful. I opened my eyes on that beach and I thought I was dead. Then you ran away and I thought I was going insane."

 

"But I found you, though," Victor murmured, wiping away Yuuri's tears.

 

Now Yuri felt like an intruder, and he quietly stepped out of the bedroom and into the main chamber.

 

Once outside, Yuri was surprised at the painful tightness in his throat, and realized he was close to crying himself. 

 

He found that he was still close enough to hear what was being said inside the room, hearing Victor say firmly, "If we don't find Georgi...If he gets the best of us again...You move on. Marry Yurio, or someone else."

 

Yuri felt cold shock at the sound of his name, and bit back a sigh. Even if Yuri were at all interested, it had been made perfectly clear that Victor was the one Yuuri wanted. Hell, no one else would do.

 

Even so, Victor continued, "Find someone to love, because you have so much of it to give. And whoever it is...they will be so lucky, just like I was. Because for a little while I was part of your world."

 

Yuri heard another sob from Yuuri. Then he said with such certainty even as his voice shook with his tears, " _You're_ that someone. You always will be, and I will  _never_ love like this again."

 

The rejection no longer stung the way it used to. Yuri could feel the embers of his old anger at Yuuri die as he listened to them carry on, and found himself sinking down to the floor, his back against the wall. 

 

"I'm not giving up on you," he heard Yuuri say, his voice firmer. "I'll never stop looking for Georgi. I swear it."

 

He sounded a thousand times braver than Yuri first thought he was and he realized that he didn't want to just give up either. 

 

There were a few moments of silence before Victor continued in low tones, "I could sing to you and tell you to leave me now. To forget about me and marry someone who will be good to you...But it wouldn't matter. I'd have to mean it in my heart for it to work, and my heart wants you to love me forever. I'm such a selfish merman."

 

"I'm a selfish human," Yuuri replied quietly. "Turns out we're perfect for each other..."

 

Yuri bit back a snort, quickly wiping away the irritating tears from his eyes as he sat on the floor and asked himself how he even got to this point. When did he start caring about what happened to those two idiots? 

 

_Grandpa, this is a fucking mess._

 

* * *

 

They remained in Silla for one more day, and then they were back in their saddles.

 

Yuri and Yuuri had decided that their best option was to go to the healing waters as recommended by Seung-gil when they'd arrived. It was another day's hard ride away, but Victor needed it. He showed no improvement despite the rest, but at least he hadn't gotten worse. Hopefully the waters would heal him and give them the time they needed to keep going west and recover his soul.

 

Victor looked unsteady on his feet in the courtyard the morning of their departure, and Yuri stood beside him to keep him steady while Yuuri and Phichit hugged tightly.

 

"I'm here for you, whatever you need," Yuri heard Phichit murmur in Yuuri's ear, and Yuuri hugged his friend tighter, looking ready to cry again. Seung-gil stood behind Phichit, watching everything impassively. Yuri had no clue what was going through the man's mind, but when his dark eyes fell on Phichit their was a flicker of some deep emotion, almost similar to how Yuuri looked at Victor.

 

Yuuri mounted Vicchan first, and Yuri had to help Victor get on behind him. The merman rested his front against Yuuri's back, already looking terribly exhausted as he held on to Yuuri's waist. Yuri bit his lip as he looked up at him before turning to get on Makkachin's back. 

 

Phichit held on to Seung-gil's hand as they watched them ride off, and Yuri took a deep breath as he focused on the road ahead, mindful of Victor practically slumping against Yuuri. His hair, carefully braided by Yuuri, hung down his back in a long coil that bounced almost lifelessly against his back as they rode.

 

They rode for seemingly endless hours, Yuuri leading them on as they followed the path as suggested by Seung-gil and the map he'd provided. Yet as the hours wore on Yuri couldn't help but keep looking back towards the merman, somehow managing to hold on to Yuuri's waist and stay on Vicchan, though he looked so incredibly weak that Yuri sometimes feared he wouldn't be able to stay on much longer.

 

It wasn't until they stopped to rest and water the horses that Yuri finally couldn't help himself. Victor practically slipped off of Vicchan and into Yuuri's arms when he dismounted, and Yuuri carefully lowered him to the forest floor. "Rest for a minute. I can carry you to the water," Yuri heard Yuuri murmur quietly.

 

Victor smiled at him weakly, appearing unable to lift his head. He took a deep, shaky breath, and replied, "I...I think I'll be fine without water, Yuuri. No need to trouble yourself, my love."

 

Yuri looked at him and understood; he didn't have the strength to change his legs for a tail. 

 

Yuuri seemed to crumble as he too seemed to realize it, but kept on smiling tenderly at Victor before getting up to go an tend to both horses. Yuri followed him, catching sight of the agony on his face as he knelt on the river's shore and splashed water onto his face. Yuri knelt next to him, saying in a low but frank voice, "He's not going to be able to stay on a horse for much longer."

 

Yuuri gave him a sharp look, his eyes looking watery. Yuri looked right back at him, quietly urging him to  _listen_. "We can tie him to you. It'll let him rest and you don't have to worry about him falling off."

 

The older prince stared at him for a few more moments before looking away with a sigh. "You're right," he muttered. "You're right, he needs...He needs help."

 

When he suggested it to Victor after they all had a rest, the merman quietly agreed, and once they were ready to go Yuri was tying them together with a length of rope, making sure the knots were all as secure as possible. 

 

A few minutes into their resumed gallop, Yuri noticed that Victor no longer gripped Yuuri as tightly, but he was still wholly rested against Yuuri's back as though he were close to losing consciousness. Or perhaps he already had.

 

* * *

 

Yuri realized he wasn't imagining the sound of hooves other than Vicchan's and Makkachin's hitting the ground.

 

The earth beneath him began to shake as whoever it was got closer, and he met Yuuri's terrified gaze in the darkness right before they urged the horses on again, racing towards their destination.

 

Victor had lost consciousness sometime in the last few hours, and Yuuri, desperate, had refused to stop for the night, and they'd been riding on the main road with the moon right above them. Yuri had been hoping that this melusine, these healing waters were real.

 

Yuri had no time to hope now, listening to the unmistakable sound of highwaymen catching up to them on horses that were undeniable more rested than Makkachin or Vicchan. 

 

These guys weren't just out to rob them. They'd loot their bodies and leave them to rot in the forest.

 

The thought had Yuri wanting to go back and kill them himself, since Victor obviously couldn't sing at them and compel them to kill each other. But then that would potentially leave Yuuri and Victor open to another attack, and they really didn't have much of an idea how many highwaymen were after them. It sounded like many, based on their voices.

 

"Keep going!" he shouted at Yuuri, wincing as he saw Victor's head bounce against the prince's shoulder when he rode up beside them. "They'll give up eventually! Just don't stop-" He cut himself off with a sharp, exhale as pain raced through his chest, sending him forward on Makkachin.

 

It hurt.  _Gods_ , it  _hurt_ , but he couldn't stop. If he stopped he'd be killed and he really didn't want to find out if Yuuri would stop for him or just ride on without him for Victor's sake.

 

 _"YURI!"_ Yuuri shouted.

 

Yuri kept his eyes shut, lying flat on Makkachin's back and holding on as tight as he could. "I'm fine! I'm fine, just keep going!"

 

Makkachin gave a sharp whinny, and Yuri could almost swear the animal went faster. 

 

He'd been shot.

 

The arrow was dug in deep somewhere between his shoulders. But he held on tight to Makkachin and consciousness, listening for the sound of the highwaymen behind them.

 

_Please give up just give up just let us go._

 

He had no clue how long it went on. He just knew it was getting harder to stay awake and hold on. 

 

_Stay awake, damn it. You're not going to die like this._

 

"Yuri! Yuri, they stopped chasing us! Yuri!"

 

 _Good_ , he wanted to say, but he couldn't breathe.

 

He couldn't hold on. He wanted to force his hands to keep hanging on to the reins, but they just...slipped away. Luckily Makkachin had already begun to slow when Yuri fell, but the force of the impact when he hit the ground had him losing his breath, and he was sure he'd broken a few bones.

 

His head swam as agony raced through his limbs, and he must have lost consciousness for a moment because when he finally managed to open his eyes, Yuuri was looking down at him, horror filling his face. Where was the other idiot? Before Yuri could ask, Yuuri was shaking his head. "No no no no! No, Yurio! Oh, gods...Please, don't die...I never should've let you come! I should've made you go home!"

 

Why the hell was he blubbering? His stupid tears were falling on Yuri's face. He tried to lift his hand to brush them away, but couldn't find the strength to do it. Yuri groaned and muttered in irritation, "You're not my fucking husband. You can't tell me what to do."

 

He let his eyes close and suddenly couldn't stay awake much longer. He did manage to feel a few more tears splash on his face and think,  _Sorry, Grandpa,_ before everything went dark.

 

* * *

 

 

This felt familiar. Someone...cradling him close. 

 

That hadn't happened in a while. The closest he got to feeling something close to it was when his grandfather hugged him.

 

He almost mumbled for his grandfather, but all that came out was a little moan. 

 

His eyelids felt like lead when he opened his eyes, and tried to focus on...whoever was holding him.

 

_Is...that Yuuri?_

 

Dark brown eyes were still gazing down at him, but...no tears fell from these eyes. They were calm, dark, and steady.

 

And that wasn't Yuuri's face staring down at him with an almost blank expression.

 

"...Who the fuck are you?" Yuri heard himself ask.

 

No answer came, and suddenly Yuri felt himself being submerged into...water? 

 

What...

 

Suddenly he was underwater, staring up at the blank-faced stranger from beneath the surface, and Yuri stopped breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please comment!!


	8. Melusine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter tunes:
> 
> "Sæglópur" by Sigur Rós for the first couple of scenes.
> 
> "Peaceful Waters" from the Morrowind soundtrack

Yuri stopped breathing.

 

Breathing would've been a stupid thing to do, now that he was quite obviously underwater.

 

And he was still staring up at the blank-faced idiot who'd dunked him, who stared back with those serious, dark eyes that never left Yuri's face. 

 

He was well-aware of the pain racing through his body. It burned through his head, the length of his right arm, his upper back, his left leg. Then the pain was followed by some manner of cool relief that wrapped itself around his arm, and suddenly he could slowly straighten it against the resistance of the water.

 

It didn't hurt anymore.

 

It was... _healed_.

 

The same thing occurred in every other agonized spot in his body, suspended in that body of water for some indeterminate amount of time. A cool sensation filled his head, but it wasn't accompanied by any sort of clarity. Just...overwhelming relief and exhaustion as the rest of his body appeared to heal. 

 

_Holy shit, we made it._

 

Yuri closed his eyes.

 

The stranger had still been gazing at him.

 

* * *

 

_Yuri liked it when it was just him and Grandpa._

 

_Potya hated the water, so she was left back home._

 

_Grandpa had slowly pulled him along the water on his belly, holding on to him by the hand while Yuri floated on his back, staring up at the clouds in the sky._

 

 _He was prepared for the moment Grandpa let go._ _He remembered to relax, to trust that the water would carry his weight._

 

_To not panic._

_Grandpa let him go, but kept an eye on Yuri as he floated on his back, peaceful and in awe of the sensation of the water holding him._

 

_There were fingers stroking through his hair with such soft gentleness, but Grandpa's fingers were never that slim._

 

_"I've never seen him look so peaceful."_

 

_That voice was familiar, but it wasn't Grandpa's._

 

_"I have. It only happens when he's fast asleep. It's adorable."_

 

_Another familiar voice._

 

_His head was resting on something. Not the water, but something solid._

 

Yuri frowned. Obviously his grandfather wasn't around. He wasn't four years old, swimming in the sea his grandfather had taken him to so many times. 

 

Those were Yuuri and Victor's voices, Yuuri's coming from somewhere above him and Victor's coming from his side.

 

Last he'd seen Victor the merman was unconscious and dying. Now he was speaking with the usual laughter in his voice, sounding as indulgent as he did when Vicchan and Makkachin did something adorable. 

 

"He's waking up," Yuuri exclaimed in hushed tones. Oh, those were  _his_ fingers in Yuri's hair. "Thank goodness...If Otabek hadn't found us-"

 

"Who the  _fuck_ is Otabek?" Yuri muttered, groaning as he opened his eyes and shut them again when the sun stung his eyes. When he opened them again Yuuri's head was blocking the sun as he stared down at him, his face full of relief. Then Victor's silver head appeared beside his, looking...much better than he had the day before. Yuri smirked up at him and asked, "Still alive, fish?"

 

"We both are, Yura," Victor replied, a brilliant smile on his face as he offered Yuri a hand. "How are you feeling?"

 

Yuri grabbed his hand and hauled himself up, sitting up and groaning at the memory of the pain he'd been in when he found himself in the water. "Like I  _wasn't_ shot and  _didn't_ fall off a horse. No way did I dream that. What the hell happened?"

 

"You got shot by a bolt and fell off Makkachin," Yuuri replied, placing a hand on Yuri's shoulder. He looked thoroughly exhausted, but not as weighed down by all the worry of the past weeks. He smiled, bright and glad, and added, "You lost consciousness, but we made it to the healing waters. Look!"

 

He turned to Victor and Yuri followed his gaze, his jaw dropping when he got a better look at the merman. His hair was unbound and shiny with water. He was shirtless and wore his tail, but that looked much different than it had even in the past days. The scales were no longer dull and brittle, and it glowed much brighter than it had that when Yuri met Victor in Hasetsu. "Holy shit. Your tail looks..."

 

"It's beautiful, isn't it?! I haven't felt this good in months!" Victor said, preening and waving his tail a bit before twisting around to push himself into the water in an effortless shove off the ground. Yuuri laughed as he and Yuri shielded themselves from the splash. Looking out towards the water, Yuri saw that it was a spring of the clearest water he'd ever seen in his life, realizing that Victor was totally visible beneath the surface. He leaped out of the water with a jubilant shout, splashing back in and speeding towards them. His head poking out of the water, he called, "Come in with me, Yuuri!" Then he dove back in.

 

Kneeling by water's edge, Yuuri chuckled softly with a fond shake of his head. "It's incredible. He really hasn't looked so healthy in-" Suddenly Victor re-emerged, wrapping his arms around Yuuri and effortlessly tugging him into the water. They both disappeared with only a splash.

 

Yuri grinned and rolled his eyes, then looked down at the arm that had felt so twisted with pain when he found himself in the water. It didn't hurt at all, and neither did everything else in him that felt thoroughly broken. 

 

He really was healed. The healing waters really did exist, and the king of Silla just handed over the location to three people he barely knew all for Phichit's sake. How long had he thought about it? Did he really trust them with that sort of knowledge? 

 

He remembered what Yuuri had said that first night on the beach. If more people knew about Victor, they would never stop until they learned everything they could about his kind, no matter how costly.

 

Yuuri had trusted him and his family with such a secret, one that they would all take to their graves.

 

The other prince surfaced, sputtering gracelessly and dragging a hand through his wet hair to get it away from his eyes. "Oh you are in  _trouble!"_   he shouted, beaming as he looked at Victor's rapidly moving shape as he circled him.

  

It was then that Yuri realized that he wasn't alone.

 

He caught a slight movement at the very edge of his vision, and turned to find the stranger who'd dunked him in the water sitting beside him. With a jolt of surprise, Yuri noticed that he too wore his tail, but it was very different from Victor's. It was a dark green, and dotted with ridges that added a texture not present in Victor's smoother-looking tail, and the fin almost resembled a fan.

 

Preoccupied with looking at the tail, Yuri nearly failed to notice that its owner was looking right at him. Cheeks burning like he'd been caught in some mischief, Yuri tore his gaze away. Then the guy asked, "How are you feeling?"

 

"...Pretty damn good," Yuri replied, taking a breath and forcing himself to look at the...merman. "So you're Otabek?" he guessed.

 

Otabek nodded. "I am. And you're Prince Yuri, Emperor Nikolai's grandson and heir."

 

Wow. So now mythical creatures knew about him. He supposed they were close enough to Yuri's kingdom that he was rather well-known, but it was still rather surprising. Clearing his throat, Yuri asked, "Are you the melusine I heard so much about?"

 

"Of this spring, yes," Otabek replied. His gaze was still glued to Yuri, who didn't quite know how to react to it. 

 

God, were all fish people so strange? Were he younger Yuri might have gotten very hostile, but the guy had evidently saved his life. Swallowing his pride, Yuri muttered, "Thanks for getting us here. And for putting me in the water. You saved us."

 

"I got you in the water, but I didn't get you here," Otabek said. "It was the other Prince Yuuri."

 

Yuri stared at him, shocked. "...What?"

 

Otabek nodded and finally turned to gaze out in the direction of Yuuri and Victor, the merman holding Yuuri in the water, their foreheads touching as they quietly spoke to each other. "He was leading both horses on foot. You and the merman were bound to the saddles, unconscious. I sensed the merman and shed the protective magic of this place. When the prince saw me he knew what I was and fell to his knees, begging for your lives. I allowed him to bring Victor to the lake and offered to help you."

 

Staring at Yuuri, who was smiling and nodding at something Victor had said, Yuri recalled his first look at the older prince. He'd thought him so unremarkable, wondering how such a guileless and timid man could lead a bunch of nobles in a merry dance around him, and even keep a lover on the side. And there he was in the water, gazing at Victor with such adoration in his dark eyes as they floated together. "...Shit." 

 

Otabek hummed and observed the two quietly for a few moments, and then asked, "How did _that_  ever happen?"

 

Yuri smirked and watched as Victor quickly stole a kiss from Yuuri and sank back into the water, the prince taking a deep breath and following him under. "Victor saved Yuuri from drowning a few years back. They fell in love and Victor traded part of his soul to a witch for human legs." Somehow that sounded much too simple, but it was the best Yuri could do. "...Now he's dying," he added grimly, seeing Victor leading Yuuri by the hand.

 

Otabek nodded, his fin moving across the surface of the water. "The waters have given him most of his strength back, but if his soul isn't returned, he'll weaken again." He turned to look at Yuri again and added, "You're closer than you think, but Georgi's demon still roams the nearby forest. Either evade her or kill her master. Otherwise she will kill you all."

 

"What, you don't think we're a match for her?" Yuri asked, unable to help himself.

 

Otabek raised a single eyebrow almost sardonically. "My sea kinsman? His kind hunts seals in the northern seas.  _He_ is almost a match. You humans? That may be difficult. You both have nerve, but I've seen the prince's scar. He's lucky he didn't die facing her."

 

Well wasn't he all sunshine and rainbows? Maybe inland fish people weren't as happy-go-lucky as Victor's kind. "So are you saying it's hopeless?" he asked sharply.

 

"No," Otabek said. "I'm saying it's difficult. But then hasn't this entire journey been difficult?"

 

Yuri didn't reply. 

 

He just silently thought about the pain after falling off of Makkachin, Yuuri's tearful expression, and Victor's face, pale as death only a few hours prior.

 

They didn't have much time.

 

* * *

 

Otabek and Victor were conversing...in  _private_ , Yuri supposed, floating beneath the water and facing each other as they talked. Once past all the shock of nearly dying, Victor was beyond excited to meet one of his own kind, embracing Otabek and calling him "cousin" as if they'd been separated for years. Otabek bore it with good grace. Hell, he didn't even look annoyed. 

 

Yuri stood a few feet away from the water, brushing Makkachin's coat as the sun set, cloaking the spring in a blood-red tone that looked almost sinister. It made for a striking sight, considering the fact that Victor had a rather dangerous voice and apparently hunted ocean predators. 

 

Yuuri was brushing Vicchan's coat in silence, not really speaking a word to Yuri since they began. The look on his face looked like he was thinking about something unpleasant, and Yuri felt rather irritated seeing him like that. Finally having had enough, Yuri looked up to sharply tell the other prince, "If you've got something to say, just say it. Don't stand there looking constipated."

 

Yuuri looked surprised at Yuri's outburst, immediately stammering, "I...I wasn't..."

 

"Spit it out already," Yuri growled. "We've come this far, so just say something, idiot. 

 

Yuuri glared defensively for a moment before sighing heavily and placing a hand on Vicchan's flank as if to steady himself. "...I know I should tell you and Victor to stay here," he finally said. "I know I should send you home. This isn't your fight, but like I said back in Silla...I'm selfish." He looked up at Yuri and gave him a little smile. "You've driven me just as much as Victor has." 

 

That...honestly surprised Yuri. He'd had J.J. as a rival, but...driving someone was entirely different altogether. "...How?" 

 

"You're stubborn. And proud. So am I." 

 

Yuri stared at Yuuri. Yes, he definitely was both those things. "You're also an idiot."

 

Yuuri laughed softly. "A proud, stubborn idiot. I know. But I also see you as a friend. So does Victor."

 

Yuri thought about the two of them staying with him until he woke. Yuuri begging for their lives after leading both horses on his own through the wilderness. "...You know if you leave me and Victor behind, we're just gonna follow you," he stated with a smirk. Hell, with his strength renewed, Victor would literally run after Yuuri.

 

Yuuri's smile faded a little, and he turned to once again look at the two mermen beneath the surface. "I know..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prince and merhusband adopt a babby.
> 
> Please comment!!


	9. True

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after a month, here's a VERY short chapter as things begin to come to a close...

"...You two really should go home."

 

Stupid, noble fucking idiot. Sitting on his horse looking like a self-sacrificing dolt, as if things would turn out any differently than they had the last time he came out here on his own and nearly died for it. All because Yuri was young and Victor was dying.

 

And then Victor stepped forward, looking up at Yuuri, and said matter-of-factly, "If you leave me here, I'll just walk after you. I have my legs and enough strength to reach the end of the continent if I have to."

 

"No you don't. You'd probably make it a few miles before your legs give out," Yuri replied dryly as he climbed onto Makkachin's back. He turned towards Yuuri and snarled loudly, "Now shut up and let him get on the damn horse."

 

The tension thoroughly shattered, Victor practically clambered onto Vicchan and molded himself onto Yuuri's back as the prince blushed and broke his composure entirely. "You wouldn't leave me behind! You'd miss me," Victor declared confidently, nuzzling into Yuuri's nape with happy noises while Yuri made retching noises.

 

Yuuri sat in red-faced silence for a few moments before a tiny smile broke across his face and he sheepishly replied, "I would."

 

Yuri rolled his eyes, his gaze falling on the melusine staring at them with an unreadable look on his face. He was back in the water, his unique-looking tail trailing across the surface of the magical waters that had healed both Yuri and Victor. He observed them silently, and Yuri couldn't help wanting to know just what he was thinking, looking at the three of them going off to try and pull off the impossible.

 

However, after everything that had occurred in the last two days, Yuri was starting to think that...maybe things weren't all that impossible. 

 

"Thank you for everything, Otabek," Yuuri said sincerely, gratitude flowing out of his gaze towards Otabek.

 

The melusine nodded once, and Yuri marveled at having met someone who just accepted things as they were, and said no more than what needed to be said. He would've made a decent companion in this last leg of their quest, but Otabek needed to ensure these waters were protected while Georgi was still around.

 

Just how long had he been on his own? 

 

Was he as alone as Victor said he was when he saved Yuuri?

 

"Stay safe," Otabek said to them, somehow still sincere even when he wore little to no expression on his face. "And don't underestimate Georgi again. His pet demon is still here, and will remember that you got away from her, Prince Yuuri."

 

At that, Victor tightened his grip on Yuuri's waist. "She hasn't met me or Yurio yet," he said, his voice and eyes flat as they had been when he sang to those bandits and made them kill each other.

 

That felt like so long ago, and Yuri was closer to home now than he was back then. If he took Vicchan and rode off he could be home with his grandfather in a day. How would his grandfather even receive him? Would he be disappointed that he wasn't coming back with Yuuri in tow as his groom? 

 

Yuri couldn't know, and part of him just didn't want to find out, but remain in this strange, blissful ignorance. Well...not so blissful, as his life was quite possibly in danger and he was on his way towards a dangerous witch. Even so, his grandfather's potential disappointment in him would be worse than any fate.

 

He gave Otabek one last look, and wondered if the guy really was determined to wait out here on his own, guarding these lonely waters.

 

But the resolute look in his eyes told Yuri everything he needed to know.

 

* * *

 

Yuri retreated into the room as soon as Yuuri paid for their lodgings, his hood low over his face.

 

They were within his kingdom's borders now, and Yuri wasn't exactly unrecognizable. Fortunately no one asked questions of them, and the situation was serious enough that even Victor agreed that they ought to take their meal in the privacy of their shared room.

 

The hot food was a blessing after the familiar cold outside, and Yuri ate ravenously despite his nerves. Yuuri matched him quite well while Victor ate sparingly, pale despite his time in the healing waters. Perhaps he had the coming end of their quest on his mind, or was thinking of how they could possibly survive an almost certain encounter with that demon.

 

Suddenly Yuri wished they were at those waters again, where things seemed simple and Victor wasn't on the verge of death. They weren't about to face a powerful witch or a demon that was possibly itching to sink her claws into Yuuri again, and finish Victor and Yuri off in the process.

 

"...How the hell does Otabek have his own legs?" Yuri suddenly asked, bewildered to be surrounded by words in his own language just outside, close enough to his grandfather that he could go and meet him again, try to explain everything that had occurred in the past weeks and face his disappointment. No, it was better to try and make sense of the more innocuous questions about this quest, and not think about potential failure and impending demise.

 

Victor beamed and replied, "My inland kin have more gifts than we seafolk do. It helps them blend in when they need to." His smile then turned wistful, and his hand curled over Yuuri's knee as he turned to look at him, adding softly. "Otabek is lucky."

 

Yuri sighed and suddenly he had very little appetite. Nor could he go to sleep comfortably. It just seemed as if they were all waiting for something to happen, as though Georgi were the one hunting them, and not the other way around.

 

Then again, he basically was hunting them by way of the demon that nearly killed Yuuri. All they had to do was get close enough and whatever happened to Yuuri would happen to the rest of them.

 

Yuuri said very little, staring at his now-empty plate with a haunted look, a hand on his stomach, just above where the scar was. "It won't be as simple as just taking our swords out," he said, still not looking at them. "She'll find us before we find her. She's fast, hard to see, and lethal." He raised his gaze to Yuri's, flat and still so incredibly haunted as he added, "What happened to me happened in less than a minute, and it wasn't because I was careless."

 

Yuri swallowed despite himself, well-aware that this wasn't going to be like facing J.J. or any other normal human. It was quite likely he would never see his grandfather again.

 

And even Otabek's waters wouldn't save them.

 

As they all lay in bed later on, without a solution, Yuri realized that there was something that actually scared him worse than Georgi did.

 

* * *

 

It was quiet when they stopped for water.

 

Yet the horses were edgy, and so were the three of them. 

 

Yuuri looked incredibly pale as he patted Vicchan's neck, looking around them fearfully while Yuri already had his sword out as soon as they entered the noticeably darker part of the forest, seemingly untouched by any normal human.

 

Victor was glowing again, only this time he seemed to be bright with threat, every inch of his body tense with alertness as he turned and looked around at their surroundings. The canopy above blocked out all semblance of brightness from the sun above, and to tell the truth Yuri wasn't sure just how long they'd been in here thanks to that.

 

"Let the horses go," Victor warned lowly, eyes glowing a bright, dangerous blue. "She's here."

 

Yuri almost dropped his sword, and for once in his life showed how afraid he was in front of someone else that wasn't his grandfather. He breathed hard and broke into a cold sweat, shaking where he stood and realizing that he was possibly seconds from dying.

 

He didn't hear a single word from Yuuri, but turned in time to see him smack both horses on the rump, sending them bolting off with fearful whinnies.

 

Yuri choked on a breath as he watched them race away, terrified as they galloped out of sight that whatever hunted them was going to tear them apart no matter what warning Victor gave. "Where the fuck is it, then!?" Yuri demanded, voice cracking with fear.

 

"Coming towards us," Victor replied, falling silent until Yuri heard that familiar hum of him beginning a song. When he turned he saw Victor facing a particular spot between the trees, totally shrouded in darkness.

 

Save for a pair of glittering orbs that emerged in that blackness.

 

That was when Yuri heard the low growls.

 

He heard Yuuri gasp shakily, and kept his eyes on the emerging shape as Victor sang.

 

It looked like a wolf, and yet it wasn't.

 

Dark fur, covered in mud and grass and what looked like dry blood. Massive, the size of a cow. 

 

Black eyes, glittering in the darkness, wholly focused on...Not Yuri. Maybe she wasn't completely ignoring him, but...she knew who she was going to attack first.

 

Yuri slowly turned his head towards Yuuri, and to his horror Victor was standing in front of him, eyes hard and furious as he sang and held his arms out, daring the demon, the black-eyed beast, to come through him if she wanted to finish Yuuri off at last.

 

Yuuri stood behind Victor, his sword in his hand and his face full of horror as he realized just what Victor was doing.

 

Yuri couldn't move. He'd thought he'd at least rush in and... _try_ to stick his sword through the thing's heart, and do what Yuuri couldn't.

 

But Yuri stood frozen, watching the demon move at an inhuman speed with an ear-splitting roar, claws out and aimed at Victor and Yuuri.

 

The song went on for part of a second longer until Yuuri suddenly shoved Victor away and pointed his blade at the demon, terrified but standing his ground.

 

Victor, sprawled on the ground, looked up at him in horror, and no sound came from his mouth as he watched what he assumed were the last moments of Yuuri's life.

 

_Move._

 

Yuuri didn't look at Victor. Just straight ahead. Maybe he just refused to, knowing what was coming for him anyway.

 

_MOVE_

 

And then a ball of light erupted on Yuuri's chest, and Yuri finally did drop his sword in shock.

 

The demon leaped, and its hungry roar instantly transformed into a shriek of agony. 

 

The shriek sounded human.

 

And then Yuri's heart stopped as he watched the filthy fur melt away, like snow off a roof, revealing...dirt-covered and scarred flesh.

 

Yuri's jaw dropped at the same time that Yuuri's did, and he too dropped his sword just before the very human shape collided with him, sending him backwards onto the ground with a pained grunt.

 

Yuri still didn't breathe as the air around them stilled, and Victor lay frozen on the ground as they both stared at Yuuri, who was wide-eyed, pale, and breathing shakily as he lay beneath...a naked woman with a mass of black hair.

 

The amulet Seung-gil had given him glowed over his heaving chest, pulsing like a heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOEVER GUESSED ANYA, YOU WERE RIGHT!!!!!!!!
> 
> THERE'S PREQUELS NOW IN CASE YOU MISSED THEM
> 
> I promise next chapter will be longer.
> 
> VICCHAN AND MAKKACHIN ARE OKAY, I SWEAR


	10. Union

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yurio: gdi my parents are fighting

The woman was wrapped up in Yuri's cloak, still lying unconscious next to the fire Yuri had made once they all got over the shock of Yuuri getting tackled by an unconscious naked woman.

 

Her hair was a dark tangle of dirt and twigs, and her skin was covered in scars and cuts. She was definitely alive, but hadn't regained consciousness in the hours since she transformed. So they'd made camp, and it was about as uncomfortable time as Yuri expected it to be.

 

And that was mostly because Yuuri and Victor weren't talking to each other.

 

Yuri had never expected to see them argue as furiously as they had, but it had happened, and now they weren't even looking at each other. Yuri had no clue what to make of it, or if he should have intervened. It wasn't his place, his relationship. And while neither of them had said anything particularly hurtful to each other, neither would back down from their point of view. 

 

As soon as Victor had made sure Yuuri was still in one piece after the woman landed on him, he exploded in anger in a way Yuri had never seen him before, demanding to know how Yuuri could just charge in recklessly.

 

And instead of shrinking back, Yuuri responded with sharp stubbornness, insisting that he was trying to protect Victor and Yuri.

 

It went back and forth and Yuri flushed as he watched, feeling like an invader looking into something decidedly intimate. 

 

The argument got them nowhere productive, and now they were just avoiding each other's as they moved about the camp.

 

At least they weren't trying to speak to each other through Yuri. Not yet.

 

"How is she?" Yuuri asked, kneeling beside Yuri.

 

Shrugging, Yuri answered. "Still out cold. Still breathing." He glanced at the amulet still hanging around Yuuri's neck, looking like...a normal amulet. "Guess that thing finally stopped glowing."

 

"Looks like it," Yuuri replied, peering down at the thing. "Seung-gil said it revealed truths...It must have been the thing to break whatever curse this woman was under and revealed her true form."

 

"That's pretty fucking on the nose," Yuri muttered, quickly becoming exasperated with all of this annoying magic. Looking at the woman again, Yuri found it unbelievable that she had been the one to nearly kill Yuuri that first time. She certainly looked like she'd been living in a forest for ages, and there was plenty of dirt and blood underneath her nails. Perhaps she was some peasant Georgi had cursed into doing his bidding? The demon had certainly been around long enough.

 

"It was lucky," Yuri heard Victor say, his voice sounding frosty. Looking over his shoulder towards him busying himself with Makkachin and about as far away from Yuuri as possible, Yuri caught the still-angry glint in his eyes. "Without that amulet, she probably would have remained cursed and still killed us."

 

He was goading Yuuri. And it worked, because Yuri could feel Yuuri tense beside him before he once again got to his feet and shot back, "I had to do something!"

 

Yuri rolled his eyes, irritated at them both. They were just going around in circles with this argument and Yuri just wanted to get some sleep, get moving again, or wait for this woman to wake up.

 

Victor dropped Makkachin's reins and glared at Yuuri, saying for the hundredth time, "She nearly killed you once, and you just leaped in without thinking. I could've handled it!"

 

"You saw that she wasn't stopping! Not even for you!" Yuuri yelled back, getting to his feet and crossing the distance between them.

 

Victor did the same, and then they were practically standing toe-to-toe. "So you thought you could actually stop her this time?"

 

"I could at least try! I wasn't going to let her kill you instead!"

 

"Yeah, yeah, you're a big hero. Now would you both stop yelling?" Yuri growled, rubbing his temples as he kept his back to them, letting them have at it, again. Maybe it'd be the thing to wake the woman up.

 

When she gave a soft groan and wince, Yuri's heart dropped. "Hey, hey seriously, shut up! She's waking up!" Yuri called over his shoulder, watching her twitch and frown.

 

Both of them rushed over to his side, and the woman moaned weakly as she slowly opened her eyes, both of them dark as night. The shadows from the flames flickered across her face, as though coaxing her awake until her eyes fell upon them. "...Where am I?" she asked softly, voice sounding hoarse from disuse.

 

"Near Rutha," Yuri automatically replied, glancing at the men on either side of him. They looked equally astonished, as though the reality of the woman's existence had finally hit them. 

 

At the sound of his voice, the woman focused her gaze on Yuri, and her eyes went wide. "You're...You're Prince Yuri..." She then looked up at Yuuri, and her eyes filled with such disbelieving horror that Yuri thought she would pass out again. "And  _you're the..._ I remember you!"

 

Yuuri stared at her with almost as much shock, asking, "Y-you do?"

 

She nodded almost frantically, hoisting herself up onto her elbows, the cloak nearly sliding down her front. Her breaths came hard as she looked at Yuuri, saying hoarsely, "I remember...everything about...How long has it been?"

 

"Since...what?" Yuri asked, bewildered.

 

"You don't know me..." she breathed, sounding dismayed. "I'm Lady Anya Petrovna. Maybe you've heard of me..."

 

Yuri had heard of her. A daughter of one of the nobles at his grandfather's court, long ago disgraced by the scandal of his daughter's flight with a paramour. It was certainly a rumor that made the rounds in the palace for a while. But that was a handful of years ago, and it seemed as though everyone had finally forgotten about her.

 

Anya appeared to become smaller as she too remembered, lying back down and closing her eyes as she added, "I ran off years ago with my lover...With Georgi."

 

" _What?!"_ Yuri shouted, incredulous. That certainly wasn't one of the rumors. Then again how was anyone supposed to suspect that a noble lady would run off with the most reviled witch in the kingdom?

 

Anya, eyes still closed, explained in a quiet voice, "He was my lover for a long time, but...he was impulsive and vengeful. I wanted to go home and have a normal life, but...he cursed me. He made me do his bidding as his creature." Tears flowed down her cheeks, and her shoulders shook with quiet sobs. "I just wanted to go home..."

 

Shit.

 

Yuri had no words. Not for Anya or Yuuri or Victor. 

 

What had love gotten any of them?

 

He didn't understand.

 

"What does he do with the souls he steals? Does he still have a merman's soul?" Yuuri asked suddenly, his prior anger with Victor replaced by the familiar worry for him, for his lost soul. 

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Yuri caught Victor turning to look at Yuuri, some unfathomable emotion showing on his face.

 

Anya opened her eyes, both of them rimmed with red, and shook her head sadly. "...I haven't been back to his dwelling since I was cursed. All he wanted me to do was wander this forest...getting rid of intruders. I am so, so sorry for what I did to you," she apologized sincerely, still looking at Yuuri. "And I'm so very happy you're alive." 

 

With a harsh exhale, Victor got back up to his feet, dragging a hand through his hair. He walked a short distance away and shut his eyes, looking agonized. "Don't ever do that to me again, Yuuri," he said softly, sounding defeated. His shoulders sagged and his gaze was no longer full of anger. Just...pain. 

 

Yuri could feel any remaining irritation melting off of Yuuri, and he too got to his feet, saying with an apologetic look, "And I can't lose you, you know that." Yuri turned and watched him walk towards Victor, looking both nervous and determined in the moments before he said, "Marry me. Tonight. Tomorrow."

 

"What." Yuri's jaw dropped.

 

So did Victor's. "What?" his eyes went comically round and he stared at Yuuri with total surprise.

 

It was...the absolute last thing Yuri would have expected, especially after such an explosive argument between them. They were already more or less engaged, so...what was the use?

 

Yuuri reached out and took Victor's hands in his, blushing hard and looking at their hands. "This whole time I was waiting for the right time, for us to go back home, but..You're right. I could've died. You could've died and Yurio could've died...." He shook his head and looked back up at Victor, more determined. "I don't want to wait for the right time anymore. I should've married you a long time ago."

 

 

Victor's face completely softened, and a second later he was kissing Yuuri, as if nothing had happened.

 

Yuri found it hard to understand. All he saw was the two of them giving each other brief, loving touches to each other's arms, shoulders, faces, like they were patching each other up, all the hurt and fear. He shared a look with Anya, and saw her looking at them so wistfully.

 

Sighing, Yuri muttered, "We have to take Lady Anya home anyway. I can probably find some priest to marry you idiots."

 

Yuuri and Victor turned to give him matching looks of surprise and gratitude, and Victor was the one to walk over and take Yuri in his arms in a hard hug, murmuring against his ear, "Thank you, Yurio."

 

Yuri rolled his eyes and replied, "Name your first kid after me and we'll call it even."

 

* * *

 

Once she rested for the night and had a meal that made her feel almost human again, Anya gave them as much information as she knew about Georgi. His lair, the traps he'd set, any other potential dangers. How he prided himself on the rarity of his stolen souls.

 

It sounded as though Victor's soul was the jewel of his collection.

 

Anya, meanwhile, looked as though she had just woken up from a nightmare, and not in the good way. She slept fitfully, sobbing at a few points, and Yuri watched Victor sit up with her for a few hours, humming her into a deep sleep so she could at least rest.

 

Did he see her as a kindred soul, so to speak? It was strange, especially since Anya had nearly killed Yuuri. 

 

But it wasn't her fault.

 

Georgi, in the end, had always been responsible. 

 

Yuuri gave her his spare shirt and trousers to wear, along with his cloak to cover her up, in case someone recognized her.

 

It was easy enough for Yuuri to tell a guard at the kingdom's gates to send a message to Lord Petrov.

 

An hour later Anya was sobbing in her father's arms, apologizing to them while Yuri, Victor, and Yuuri looked on.

 

Yuri felt strange to be walking through the kingdom's gates, face hidden beneath his hood. He didn't want to speak to anyone, or even look up or else risk someone recognizing him.

 

For all his readiness to help Victor and Yuuri in every way he could, he wasn't ready to face his grandfather or answer his questions. That in itself seemed more frightening than facing Georgi.

 

What he did do was lead them towards the nearest church, and he could feel them vibrating behind him, their smiles wide and bright.

 

Yuuri had already promised Victor another wedding in Hasetsu. One where their family and friends would be present. 

 

Victor beat Yuri to the punch in speaking to the priest who was sweeping the small, empty church, weaving a romantic tale that had the priest eagerly agreeing to wed them.

 

Yuri sat at the front and watched the entire thing, wondering if he would even go to their second wedding in Hasetsu. It would certainly surprise everyone to see him do so.

 

Victor and Yuuri kissed as the priest declared them married, and Yuri smiled at the thought of shocking the entire world with his attendance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *~W E D D I N G~*
> 
> please comment! we're near the end!


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